Just the Two of Us
by A Flash in the Pan
Summary: When the rest of the family dies in a sudden Grimm attack, Saphron and Jaune are left to fend for themselves. Grimm attacks, bandit raids, near death experiences... In the end, they only have each other.
1. Chapter 1

**I can't believe FF doesn't have Saphron as a character to select yet. Smh**

* * *

Jaune was ten when his family was attacked by the Grimm.

The boy covered his ears as he heard another scream from outside of the closet that he was hiding in, trying unsuccessfully to quiet his whimpers down. What little self-control he had left him when something hit the closet door, causing him to scream out in terror. Shutting his mouth just a second too late, Jaune tried to hear what was happening on the other side of the door.

Body still shaking due to the intense fear that was coursing through him, Jaune laid an ear as gingerly against the door as he could, hoping that whatever was on the other side wasn't doing the exact same thing.

Straining to listen, Jaune's heart started to beat faster when he realized that there was no sound coming from the other side of the door.

Before he could react, the door handle twisted and the frame pulled away from Jaune, who ended up sprawled out onto the floor without the door to lean on. Instinctively, Jaune started screaming, closing his eyes and twisting his body, kicking and punching whatever was wrapping its arms around him.

"No! No!" Jaune screamed as loudly as possible, "Get away from me!"

At ten years old, Jaune realized that he didn't want to die.

It wasn't until whatever grabbed him pulled him closer that Jaune opened his eyes, gasping at the surprising—but not unwelcoming sight—of one of his older sisters.

"J-Jaune." Saphron whispered, an urgent look on her face. Dirt and grime covered her face and clothes, but otherwise she looked unharmed. "Y-you need to be quiet. P-please." Jaune wrapped his arms around his sister, trying his best to follow her shaky orders. The both of them sat on the floor, shivering in each other's comfort for a little while before Saphron stood up, helping Jaune onto his feet.

"Okay," The blonde girl said, taking a deep breath and trying as hard as she possibly could to stop herself from stuttering. "We need to go. Now."

Jaune nodded hesitantly, one of his hands gripped tightly by Saphron's.

"W-where's the others?" Jaune whispered as they started to move, the older sister peering past corners and leading the both of them outside. The girl turned to look at Jaune, a pained expression passing on her face before she could smooth it out completely.

"I-I'm sure that they're trying to find us too, Jaune. Let's just make sure we're in one piece for them to find, ok?"

No other words were passed between the two of them as Saphron found the keys to the family car, heading out into the garage.

Helping Jaune into the truck, Saphron tried her hand at a confident smile, hoping that it would put the boy at ease.

"Alright now, I'm going to need you to buckle up, ok?"

Jaune nodded, hands fumbling for the seat belt as Saphron climbed into the vehicle, the engine humming to life as she put the key into the ignition. A press of the button signaled for the garage to open up, the hinges creaking loudly as the doors started to roll up.

Saphron's heart jumped into her throat when she looked back, seeing a hulking black form of a Beowulf, nose in the air as it tried to pinpoint the two humans. Another second passed before it lowered its head, eyes boring into hers.

Leaping into overdrive, Saphron put the truck into reverse, slamming on the gas as hard as possible. The Beowulf lunged at the same time, body crashing into the backend of the truck, making Jaune screech out in fear.

The car continued out of the driveway, Saphron doing her best not to emulate Jaune's scream, stifling it into a smaller, yet no less fearful whimper. Braking hard, the Beowulf only had time to dent the bed a little before flying off of the truck, skidding a few feet away.

Wasting no time, Saphron shifted gears and pressed hard on the gas, tires squealing for a second before propelling the car forwards, Saphron struggling to keep the car straight. She had only started learning how to drive a few weeks ago, but it seems that she was going to have to learn the rest of it on the fly.

Every bump made her flinch, her breath hitching every time there was a curve on the countryside roads.

It wasn't another ten minutes before Saphron finally let up on the gas, pulling over onto the side of the road. Her knuckles white, she slowly pried her hands off of the steering wheel, putting them in between her thighs to try and stop them from shaking.

Dead.

Everyone, gone in an instant before she could even do anything about it.

Saphron let out a slow breath, and closing her eyes. She couldn't believe that the last memory of her dad was going to be him shoving her underneath the cellar, a muttered apology as he faced the oncoming horde of Grimm alone.

Shaking her head, Saphron looked around and bit her lip, taking in the forest that surrounded her, knowing that it wouldn't be but a few more hours before the sun set.

A gloomy forest like this was definitely not a good place to take a breather.

Turning to Jaune, Saphron let out a small giggle as she saw him stretching almost comically, hands held high in the air, toes almost leaving the ground.

"Where are we going, sis?" Jaune yawned, blinking tears out of his eyes. Terror was a good way to exhaust a kid, that's for sure. Leaning over, Saphron ruffled her brother's hair, making him back away and pout, Jaune putting on his best disapproving face. Saphron didn't even try and hide her laughter, and for a brief moment, it was like the attack had never happened.

As if they still had their whole family together.

The silence of the forest made for a quick sobering up though, as they started to quiet down, realizing what exactly they had just been through.

They could have died a dozen times today. And the only reason why they didn't?

They got lucky.

Saphron couldn't help but wonder when their luck was going to run out.

"Alright Jaune, time to get back in the car. I don't think you want to sleep here, do you?" Saphron ushered the little boy back into the vehicle, making sure he buckled his seat belt before she got in, turning the key once more.

Nothing.

Saphron's heart stopped.

Delicately, Saphron tried again, slowly turning the key, hoping that it was some sort of fluke. Nothing. Nothing.

Nothing.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no..." Saphron, twisted in her seat, trying to figure out what was wrong. "No, no, no..."

Jaune leaned forwards, head tilted to the side. "Is something wrong, sis?"

Popping up, Saphron turned around, smiling through the tears that had escaped just for a second.

"It's nothing, Jaune. I-I'm sure it's nothing."

Jaune didn't look very convinced, fidgeting slightly.

Saphron turned back around to face forward. She was the big sister, damn it, she couldn't lose it here yet.

With an almost animalistic growl, Saphron twisted the key as hard as she could, jumping back in her seat when the truck roared to life again. She couldn't help the near maniacal giggle that escaped her.

Salvation.

Easing the gas on, Saphron drove on, determined to keep driving until she found a hint of civilization. She quickly switched to brakes when someone leaped out of the bushed, flinging themselves against the front, causing the windshield to crack.

Saphron noted that she seemed to be screaming a lot more today than she ever had in her past sixteen years.

Climbing out, Saphron scrambled frantically towards the body, barely noticing that Jaune had done the same.

Sixteen years old and a murderer already, Saphron's hysterical mind noted. It just seemed like that kind of day.

Kneeling beside the body—the girl, really—Saphron put two fingers next to the girl's throat, remembering something in one of the TV shows that she had watched about how to check for a pulse.

A hand snaked out and grabbed onto hers before Saphron could even touch the girl. Her eyes snapped open, blue eyes boring straight into Saphron's as a wicked smile spread across her face.

"Gotcha."

"Wh-" Saphron heard Jaune scream, turning to find him being wrestled onto the ground by a hooded man. As the seconds passed, Saphron found herself surrounded by more and more people—bandits, she realized.

The girl must have been a bandit as well, set up to get her out of the vehicle. The theory was quickly reinforced when the blue-eyed girl stood up, twisting Saphron's hand viciously, causing her to whimper in pain as she fell deeper onto her knees. Another quick movement hauled Saphron onto her feet, arms pinned behind her as the girl wrapped a hand around Saphron's neck, daring her to struggle. Tears sprung in Saphron's eyes as she clenched her teeth, attempting not to scream at the intense pain the other girl was inflicting on her. Another twist broke her self control though, and a heavy moan escaped her lips, spots blinking in and out of her vision.

"Get away from my sister!" Jaune yelled loudly, struggling even harder against the man, who only laughed and pressed Jaune harder into the ground. Saphron only started to struggle harder when the man leaned over and smacked Jaune in the back of the head, causing a loud crack to echo.

Saphron's screams were drowned out by everyone else's mocking laughter.

All of them stopped when another bandit stepped through the clearing, a woman donning a white mask. All of them took a step back as she stepped forward, many of them casting nervous looks at each other as they waited for the woman to speak. Even when she didn't, they remained silent.

The masked woman took a step forward, hand outstretched as she caressed Saphron's cheek.

"Don't touch me." Saphron hissed, jerking her head away from the hand.

The woman paused, before chuckling and turning her attention towards Jaune, who was still struggling underneath the bandit's boot.

"What do we have here?" The woman asked, approaching the child.

"Stay away from him!"

Miraculously, Saphron managed to pull out of the other girl's grasp, charging towards the masked woman. She wasn't sure what she was going to do when she got to the masked woman, but raised her fists up regardless, intent on getting the woman away from her little brother. Stepping into arm's reach, Saphron aimed at the woman's chin, remembering something from one of the TV shows she watched. Saphron's fingers clipped the bottom of the mask, making the woman turn , pain exploding from Saphron's temple as the woman backhanded her, sending the small girl flying.

Jaune screamed when he saw his sister fly through the air, the sight causing him to redouble his efforts, the desperate attempts finally working when he squirmed out from under the man's boot.

Up on his feet, Jaune charged at the woman, receiving a solid kick in the chest from her.

With the wind knocked out of him, Jaune could only gag on his own spit, heaving heavily and trying to find enough of his lungs to take a deep breath.

With both of the siblings down on the ground, the girl grabbed Saphron's hair, pulling her up to her knees. The man went to do the same before the masked woman gestured at the bandit to stop, letting Jaune get back on his feet.

Panting softly, Jaune clutched at his stomach as he glared at the masked woman, not noticing as the rest of the group formed a circle around the two of them, making an impromptu ring. The boy didn't make a move, and neither did the masked woman, the quiet echoed undisturbed, the two of them frozen.

Eyes flickering to the left and right, Jaune tried to see if there was any way for him and Saphron to escape, but finding no spaces between the bandits that he could slip through quickly.

Faced with only one option, Jaune grit his teeth, charging once more towards the masked woman.

The high pitched battle cry Jaune let out was barely menacing, and the choked gasp he let out after he was kicked to the ground again was even more so. With even less oxygen than before, Jaune threw up, barely having any energy to stay on his hands and knees. It made it especially easy for the woman to kick him again, sending him skidding across the grass and gravel.

"Please..." Jaune wasn't sure what he was begging for, he just knew that he _hurt_ and he wanted it to stop.

A sharp hiss rang through the air as the woman drew her sword, pointing it at Jaune. The unspoken threat was enough for Jaune, who summoned every last bit of strength to stagger onto his knees, eyes wide as the woman swung the blade, aiming for Jaune's neck.

Flinging himself to the side, he barely ducked out of the way, rolling to dodge the follow up.

"W-why are you doing this?" Jaune panted out, pushing himself up onto his feet. The woman paused for a moment, her left hand reaching behind her, drawing out a dagger and tossing it onto the ground beside him. Jaune looked down at the blade, small for a grown man, but gleaming in all of its danger for an ten year old boy. When he glanced back up at the woman, he saw her hands reach up, taking the mask off slowly, to reveal red eyes, and a few wrinkles that showed her in her mid-thirties.

She looked every bit as evil as Jaune imagined her to be.

"Fight, or die."

Jaune's eyes widened in panic at the ultimatum given by the woman. Scooping the knife up, the boy stood there, hesitation obvious now that he had a very real weapon in his hand. The woman gave him no more time to think though, taking a step forwards to deliver a killing blow. Yelping in fear, Jaune jumped backwards out of range, his back hitting one of the bandits that was forming the ring, stumbling forward when the bandit pushed him away, where Jaune's teeth clacked together as the woman reversed her swing, the backside of the blade connecting with his jaw, knocking one of his back teeth out.

On the floor once more, Jaune gave up. Tears steamed from his eyes as his whole body seemed to throb in pain. He curled up into a ball, hoping that the hitting would stop as his little body shook with sobs. He was done.

A foot kicked him out of his position, leaving him face to face with the woman once again.

"Fight. Or die."

The words only served to make Jaune hurt more, his breathing coming out in short, painful stints.

"I-I can't. No more. Please." Jaune whimpered, trying to curl up again.

Jaune could hardly believe that just this morning he had been complaining about stubbing his toe.

 _I want my mom._

Another kick once again sent him across the ring, where he lay a few feet away from Saphron, who fought and kicked against her captor, crying just as hard as Jaune, begging them to stop. His big sister.

His last sister.

One more kick connected with his hip, convincing him to roll a few more times, landing on his side.

"Fight."

Jaune shook his head.

"I can't." Even to his own ears the words seemed slurred, his vision fading in and out. The only thing he could focus on was the gleaming blade that she was moving around, first towards him, something that he was starting to welcome, his will to live slowly slipping back and forth... and then the blade rested on the neck of his big sister, who had done _nothing_ wrong.

"Then she dies." The woman didn't even blink as she started to move her arm, ready to slit Saphron's throat wide open.

Something snapped inside of Jaune.

He didn't know when he got back on his feet, or when he had rushed at the woman. Jaune didn't even realize that he still had the knife in his hands. His vision only widened when he slammed the blade into the woman's thigh, the knife sparking as it tried to make contact, to sink through the skin, only to slide away like water, propelling him into the woman's knee, taking one last blow before falling unconscious.

Saphron screamed, and she wasn't sure it was for her little brother, who had taken the worst beating she had ever witnessed, or if it was for herself, the woman's blade having already open a wound big enough for blood to start pouring. They were both going to die here.

One barely sixteen, the other barely ten, and they had managed to meet death twice, only to stumble into this hell.

 _Fine._

Saphron closed her eyes, her heartbeat calming. If she was to die here, that was fine. At least she would be able to apologize to Jaune for being unable to protect him after the two of them passed away.

The last things Saphron heard was the cruel woman laugh, saying something and reaching out, touching her cheek, and something flow through her, a spark of life tenuously rushing throughout her body.

Then nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

Saphron woke up to the sound of rain hitting tarp.

She could remember the days when her dad had taken her and her siblings out camping. They were a big family, but they made it work. She could remember the nights where two or three of the sisters would huddle into a single tent, listening to the quiet pit-patting of the rain as they told stories and played pranks with each other.

Opening her eyes treated her to a different sight though. Instead of a small tan tent that she expected to see, Saphron found herself strapped in a cot, staring at the black tarp of a large tent. Straining to move, she found the leather straps tight, allowing her no freedom of movement. Slumping back down in bed, Saphron tried to remember how she ended up on the bed.

Flashes of memory filtered through, followed by a sense of unease settling in the pit of her stomach.

Saphron had... died, hadn't she?

No, she was obviously still alive, but at the same time, Saphron distinctly could remember the woman's blade opening her throat up... she could remember the blood spilling...

Did she hallucinate all of that? Was that really possible?

The entrance flap of the tent burst open, a figure striding through angrily. It took a second for Saphron to remember the girl that had almost broke her wrist and held Saphron for the other woman to slit her throat.

"What are you staring at?" The girl growled, kicking one of the bed legs, shoving the rolling bed away. Saphron let out a small croak, trying to give some sort of rebuttal, before realizing that her throat hurt like _hell_. The other girl snorted in amusement.

"You probably shouldn't strain yourself, princess. Raven did some nasty work on those vocal chords. Even with your Aura activated it's gonna take some days to heal."

So Saphron did have her throat slit. And then they decided to... heal her? That didn't make much sense, even for a group of bandits. A million questions ran through her mind, but without the proper vocal chords to express any of them properly, Saphron just glared at the other girl and continued to struggle against the bindings that held her down.

"Keep struggling, priss. You're not getting out of those things that easily. Built to hold a grown man with Aura. And you're... not." Another kick caused the bed to roll around again, hitting one of the center poles, jarring a headache that Saphron had miraculously been unable to feel back to life. A heavy groan fell from her lips, drowned out by a malicious chuckle from the other girl.

"Vernal." The single word stopped the other girl from advancing again, the familiar voice paired with a face when the woman that had almost killed her stepped into the tent as well, this time with no mask on, and slightly wet from the rain still beating outside.

The girl—Vernal, if that was her name—turned around, crossing her arms in front of her.

"What? I'm bored. Can't I have a little fun?" Vernal tilted her nose upwards, seeming more like a rebellious child than anything else when she did so.

"If you're bored, then train," The woman said, staring hard at the haughty girl. Faster than Saphron could comprehend, the woman drew her blade, which caused Saphron to jerk in reflex, her neck heating up as she remembered how unnaturally warm the sword had been when it had cut through her. "But if you think that you're enough to stop training, perhaps you can show me the leaps and bounds that you've gone through for that to happen." The blade gleamed menacingly, and for the first time, Vernal tilted her head downwards, looking appropriately cowed as she turned away from the pale woman.

"O-of course not, Raven." Vernal turned to regard Saphron one more time before shaking her head, nodding towards the woman. "I'll go out and train now."

Raven didn't acknowledge the words, simply leveling her gaze at Vernal as the girl hurriedly left, leaving Raven to stare at the tent flap. Saphron didn't speak, one part due to the fact that speaking seemed to hurt immensely, and the second part in hoping that she wouldn't attract undue attention to herself from the woman that had just put her and Jaune through the ringer.

Jaune!

As her little brother crossed her mind, she started to turn, trying to locate him. The last she remembered, Jaune had been beaten within an inch of his life by Raven, so surely he would be in the same tent as her, unless...

"Looking for something?" Raven asked, her tone almost mocking as her boots crunched beneath the grass. "Or perhaps a certain someone?"

Saphron didn't bother entertaining the cruel woman, her lips thinning out as she pressed them together. It didn't seem to bother Raven all that much, as she simply let out a small laugh, before reaching over to touch the bed-ridden girl.

Saphron flinched as Raven's fingers glided over her throat, her fingernails tracing along the scars that _she_ herself left. Ignoring the throbbing headache, Saphron jerked as hard as she could away from the offending hand.

"Hmph." Raven's tiny smile chilled Saphron to the bone. "Feisty."

Saphron didn't think the shaking would come back so easily.

Raven turned away, leaning over and rummaging through one of the open bags on the floor.

"Your brother is fine, if you were still wondering." The woman straightened up, revealing a roll of bandages. "A few bruises, but he will heal." The small smile widened into a smug grin. "A fighter. Just what I was looking for."

 _What are you going to do with him?_

Saphron wanted to ask the question, and was hoping the question would be reflected in her eyes.

Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, because Raven didn't bother answering it either way, and Saphron wasn't sure what the look on her face really meant. It wasn't like there was anything that Saphron could really do being bed-ridden anyways.

Whatever Raven saw on the girl's face seemed to satisfy the woman, who stowed the roll away, before opening the flap of the tent back up.

"Rest up. The days ahead will not be easy."

Not for the first time, Saphron wondered if it would've been easier to let the Grimm take her.

* * *

"Boy."

The word seemed to reverberate through Jaune, who opened his eyes up groggily, trying to find his orientation as he slowly picked himself off of the ground. Where was he?

Looking around, he found himself inside of a dark tan tent, laying on top of an unopened sleeping bag. Rubbing his throbbing head, Jaune found himself face to face with the woman that had just beat him to a bloody pulp.

Satisfied that the blond boy was up, raven-haired woman tossed something at Jaune, who fumbled for it briefly before letting it drop onto the ground. Picking it up, Jaune noticed the disappointed frown on the woman's face, hearing her mutter something about working on his reflexes. Turning it around, he thought he recognized it as a roll of bandages.

"Patch yourself up and get some rest." The woman said shortly, gesturing towards Jaune. "Food will come."

Jaune stared at her uncomprehendingly. What?

The woman just beat him black and blue what couldn't be a few hours ago, a day or two at the most... and now she's nursing him back to health? What was going on?

"W-where's my sister?" Jaune asked quietly, feeling just brave enough to challenge her.

A single eyebrow raised up at the question.

"What would you do if I told you she was dead?"

Then Jaune would kill the woman standing in front of him. It didn't matter if he died or not... but if he could just get that smug look off of the woman's face...

It might be worth it.

A laugh echoed shortly as the woman threw her head backwards.

"That's the reaction I was hoping for. A fighter. Good." Shaking her head, her face smoothed out again, only a small smile left on the cruel face. "Don't worry, she's safe. A bit of a sore throat, but nothing that a few days of rest shouldn't cure."

The sentence jiggled Jaune's memory, remembering the last minute or so of the last time Jaune was conscious.

"Saphron's... alive?"

"That's what I said, didn't I?" Raven said, a frown marring her face. "I didn't burst one of your eardrums when I hit you, did I?"

Jaune shook his head, relief pouring through his body. A smile managed to make it through the doom and gloom on his face. It didn't last very long when he heard the next words from the woman.

"Let's see if that smile stays on after I'm done with you, hm?"

Jaune clutched the roll close to his chest, a violent shiver breaking from his body. He didn't know whether to dread what came next, or to count himself lucky that he was still alive. But...

Saphron was alive.

He wasn't alone.

That would have to do for now.

* * *

Jaune was woken up when a boot meet his stomach, making him groan and turn out of the sleeping bag. Lying face down on the grass, Jaune opened his eyes slowly, turning his head to find the girl who had held his sister captive a few days ago.

Getting on his knees, Jaune growled at the girl, making her laugh as she lunged at him, making him flinch. Getting enough of a kick out of making the boy suffer, the girl pulled him up to his feet, hair grasped in her fist. Throwing him towards the entrance, the girl moved along beside him.

"Move."

Jaune stumbled out of the tent, squinting at his first sight of sunlight in a few days. Shielding his eyes with his hands, he wasn't able to catch the girl winding herself up and kicking his backside, making him fall back down onto his hands.

"Come on, Raven's expecting you."

Expecting another kick, Jaune scrambled up, skipping to the side just in time to see a foot sail past, a victorious grin appearing on his face. It didn't last long as the leg swung around, catching him in the stomach.

"Think you're so funny, huh?" The girl snarled, shoving him forwards. "Come on."

"W-where's my sister?" Jaune asked, slowing down just enough to catch the frustration on the girl's face. Jaune knew that antagonizing a girl that could beat him black and blue without breaking a sweat wasn't a good idea, but he couldn't help it.

He had to act like a kid every once in a while, right?

"You'll see her soon." Another shove.

He could take the hint.

As they navigated through the maze of tents and what looked like cages, Jaune tried to keep an eye out on some sort of significant landmark. Anything to tell him where he was exactly. Unfortunately, due to the combination of facts that there weren't really any large hills or signs that pointed out where they were, as well as the fact that Jaune was _ten_ , he couldn't really come to a good conclusion.

Drat.

Eventually the two of them found themselves heading towards a massive clearing, a large personal tent looming in front of them. The crates and objects that were breaking Jaune's line of sight parted ways, revealing his older—his only—sister.

"Saphron!" Jaune gasped, sprinting towards his last semblance of family. The blonde girl didn't look as bad as he thought, the only difference from the last time he saw her were the bandages wrapped around her throat.

Metal gleamed as it spun, making Jaune stop as a knife dug itself into the ground in between him and Saphron, both of them flinching in surprise.

Turning towards the large tent, he was greeted with the woman who had tossed him around like a half-empty sack of potatoes, and had almost killed his sister.

Raven, if the girl beside him was telling the truth.

"What took so long, Vernal?" Raven said, her voice carrying through the clearing. There was no emphasis, no inflection in the question. It was only a question.

Jaune shifted both of his shaking hands behind his back.

Vernal crossed her arms, tilting her head towards the blond beside her.

"The brat didn't feel like listening at first. It took me a second to get him in line."

Jaune didn't see what happened next, only feeling a breeze before finding Raven standing next to Vernal, sword descending in a downwards arc.

A crash of steel against steel caused Jaune to take a step backwards, Vernal falling a step back as she blocked the blade with a pair of crescent blades, nearly falling onto her knees. Raven spun in place, a foot connecting into Vernal's stomach, making her fly backwards.

Jaune tried to hide his malicious glee as he watched Vernal receive her appropriate karma.

"I didn't realize you were so weak that it would take you so long to grab the boy." Again, Raven didn't bother raising her voice, confident that Vernal heard her. She sheathed the wicked looking blade before turning to face Jaune. It didn't take long for the hairs on his arm to stand up underneath the gaze.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to match her glare.

"W-what do you want from us?"

For once, Raven seemed to react to a question, tilting her head slightly, as if trying to measure out her response.

"There's a lot of things that I want from you." Raven replied, Jaune blinking as he actually got something resembling an answer for once. "But you aren't ready to give me what I want yet." Raven pointed at the knife buried in the ground. "Pick it up."

Jaune looked down at what Raven was pointing at, before looking back up. A spark of defiance leapt up from inside him.

"What if I don't?" Jaune whispered, eyes challenging.

He expected some sort of emotion from Raven following Jaune's blatant disobedience. Anger, indignation, amusement...

Raven shrugged, drawing her sword out in front of her.

"Very well then." She said, before she moved towards him, blade held before her. Panic shot through the little boy, who dived out of the way. Landing on the grass, Jaune felt a boot connect onto his side, propelling him across the clearing.

Wasn't that a familiar feeling?

There was a difference though, Jaune thought to himself, rolling up towards the knife, jerking it out of the dirt. This time he understood what he was going up against. No, he didn't know why, or what purpose Raven had for attacking him so relentlessly, but that didn't matter right now.

All that mattered was Raven was intent on beating him until he was unconscious, and Jaune was intent on delaying that from happening for as long as possible. A quick glace towards Saphron showed Jaune that she was being held from the back of her neck by Vernal, and Jaune felt understanding wash over him.

It would've been easier to lay there and take the beating. But Jaune knew that Saphron would suffer from it.

Jaune wasn't going to have that.

Raising the knife above his head, Jaune screamed, out of fear, out of conviction, it didn't matter. He just screamed, and charged at Raven.

Movement faster than his eye could track knocked the knife out of his hand, as well as slamming into his side, sending him skidding across the ground.

He'd been through this before. It was just like last time. Jaune didn't want it to end like last time.

Scooping the knife up again, Jaune charged again, knife once again high in the air.

The same movement happened again, but this time, Jaune was prepared for it. He might not be able to see exactly what was happening, but that didn't mean he couldn't react to it. Jaune pulled the knife towards himself, air whistling above him as a hand passed over his head. Tucking his body into a roll, he felt another gust of wind as something else passed him. Standing up, Jaune turned, having rolled a little too far away from Raven. He let out a snarl, taking a step and flying into the air once more when a fist socked him in the face, causing the snarl to turn into a yelp as he bounced on the ground. Before he even stopped rolling, Jaune shoved himself off of the ground, staggering back onto his feet, narrowly missing a well placed stomp that would've landed on his back.

Raven jumped back as Jaune slashed the air close to her thighs.

Sheathing her sword, Raven looked at the boy, an indecipherable look crossing her face before she nodded once.

"Good." The word caused Jaune to relax a fraction, the praise unexpected. "Again."

And Jaune tensed back up just in time for Raven to crash into him, sending him flying once more.

This continued on for hours and days, or at least it did in Jaune's mind. Raven would attack, and Jaune would either miraculously duck out of the way or get hit. If he managed to make her miss, there would be another flurry of attacks that Jaune would be forced to defend against, eventually missing a beat in the messed up tempo, and he would be sent flying.

She didn't stop when Jaune could barely push himself off of the ground.

She didn't stop when Jaune started fighting back with tears falling from his eyes, sobs breaking out every time she hit him.

She just didn't stop.

She only stopped when Jaune seemed to stop moving, the only indication that he was alive was the rapid rising and falling of his chest.

Satisfied that Jaune wasn't faking it like the last time, Raven sheathed her blade for the final time, beckoning one of the bandits with a single finger.

"Feed him."

The man nodded, scurrying away to find sustenance for the beaten boy.

Looking down at the prone boy, Raven looked into his eyes, finding whatever she was searching for before nodding, satisfied.

"Eat. Then head back to your tent and rest. We'll do this again tomorrow." Dismissing him from her mind, Raven turned towards Saphron, who looked exhausted as well. Screaming and begging for her to stop attacking Jaune for several minutes would do that to a person. Especially one that barely had a functioning voice in the first place.

"Why are you doing this?" Saphron croaked out, glaring hatefully at the amused woman. "Why are you torturing the both of us like this?"

Raven let out a deep laugh, her dark locks swaying along with her. "Torture?" Raven snorted in amusement. "Don't be so melodramatic. I'm simply instilling strength and purpose into him." The woman casted a judgmental look at the downtrodden girl. "I think it's time I do the same for you. No more freeloading."

Fear shot through Saphron, as well as a small bit of indignation. Freeloading?

"Starting tomorrow, Vernal will show you what needs to be done around the camp." Raven gestured towards the tents. "There's a lot of work, and you _will_ earn your keep."

Without letting Saphron point out that it wasn't a choice that she or Jaune were here, Raven disappeared back into her tent, leaving Saphron and Jaune alone with the rest of the bandits.

The man reappeared with a bowl of stew, setting it down next to Jaune's cheek before falling back into the crowd around them, all of them laughing and jeering at the pair of blonds.

Gathering Jaune up, Saphron glared at all of them.

They would survive this.

Together.


	3. Chapter 3

"This is impossible."

Saphron crossed her arms, a frown marring her face. Vernal let out an irritated sigh, fingers gliding across her weapons in an empty threat.

Saphron might've been frightened if Vernal had made the same threat a few days ago, but after spending a week arguing and physically fighting against her constant oppressor, Saphron realized something very important for her survival.

Vernal wasn't allowed to kill her.

Sure, Vernal was allowed to beat her and throw her around. But for some reason, Raven made sure that Saphron at least had the appearance of being unmarked. So, with that stipulation in mind, Vernal had to make sure any and all hits were directed in an area that could be hidden with a pair of pants and a loose t-shirt.

Saphron didn't make it very easy though.

If it was a fair fight, Vernal would thrash Saphron ten out of ten times. But with every intentional bruise on her cheek, or scrape on her hands, Vernal quickly understood that she wasn't fighting the rebellious girl. She was fighting against Raven, and her oddly specific conditions.

And so their fights amounted a general fifty-fifty split in who 'won' or 'lost'.

After a week of bruises and beatings, the two of them deciding that falling into verbal fights was a much better use of both their times.

Saphron was a lot better at those kind of fights than the fist-to-face kind of fights.

"Impossible or not, this is what you're supposed to do." Vernal kicked one of the poles that Saphron erected, snapping it in half. Saphron let out a sound of disgust, picking up the splintered wood. "Don't forget the people who are graceful enough to let you and that brat live her."

"Graceful." Saphron drawled the word out, grateful that her throat had healed enough to inflect a healthy amount of sarcasm. "Yeah, thanks for doing the totally unreasonable thing and not killing us. Instead, you've got a slave and a punching bag." Saphron threw her arms up in the air, tossing the splinters away. "Thanks."

Vernal's scowl was worth the punch in the gut, and Saphron made sure to smile through the pain, not letting the bitch have any amount of satisfaction from the hit.

"Well, you can keep hitting me, but that won't change the fact that I'm going to need another stake for the clothesline, and that this is still impossible." Saphron gestured at the baskets of clothing strewn beside her. "I can't clean _all_ of these clothes in a single afternoon. I'd have to have some sort of superpower to do something like that."

"Well you do have your Aura unlocked," Vernal crossed her arms, jutting out a hip to match the attitude. "Maybe your Semblance will show itself and you won't be a useless pile of garbage after all."

Saphron schooled her expression into a flat stare, eyes boring into Vernal's eyes, an unspoken challenge flaring between the two of them.

The blond bent down, shuffling through a pile of clothing, pulling out a ratty shirt, holding it up in the sunlight before holding it out in front of Vernal, nodding to herself as she confirmed that the shirt was in fact, Vernal's.

And promptly threw it into the rushing river waters.

"You bitch!" Vernal screamed, lunging at the other girl. "That was my favorite shirt!"

* * *

"And what happened to you two?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the two sopping wet girls.

Vernal scowled, glaring balefully at Saphron.

"She threw me in the river." Vernal spat out.

"I did not!" Saphron gasped at the accusation, pointing a finger at the other girl. " _You_ threw me in the river!"

"That does seem more likely." Raven drawled out, a smirk on her face. "That doesn't explain away why you're wet as well, Vernal." The girl in question's scowl deepened, an almost blush brushing across her face. Saphron was kind enough to answer the question for her.

"I managed to keep my grip on Vernal, and I pulled her in when she threw me in." Saphron couldn't keep the smugness out of her tone.

Amusement danced through Raven's eyes for a brief second before she turned to Vernal, crossing her arms.

"I'm surprised she was able to manage that." Raven's tone asked for an explanation, to which Vernal was quick to answer to.

"She caught me off guard. I didn't expect her to do that." And if Saphron didn't hate the girl standing next to her, she would say that Vernal almost looked cute, pouting like that.

"You can't expect everything." Raven said, shaking her head. "But you can at least react to it. You're stronger than she is, Vernal. Do not let it happen again."

Vernal bowed her head, eyes pointed to the ground. "Of course, Raven."

Raven crossed her arms, as if debating on saying anything else before she shook her head, standing up.

"Clean yourselves up before Jaune gets here."

Saphron perked up a little at the mention of her little brother. Exiting and walking through the tents, Raven and the two girls marched towards the center of the tribe, Vernal stealing a towel for herself. Saphron took note and did the same, mentally reassuring herself that she would return it.

It wasn't much longer until Saphron spotted her little brother, back straight as he stared into the distance. Saphron's heart went out to him, noticing the speckles of bruises and cuts that lined his body, as well as what was about a three day old black eye.

Jaune had a much simpler schedule than Saphron did.

Eat. Sleep. Fight.

Repeat.

It was an endless loop, Saphron having lost count of how many times Raven had forced Jaune to fight against her. It almost always happened around noon, and no matter what chores Saphron had been sent to do, she always found a way to make an excuse so that she could be close by, if not to help patch him up, then to make sure Jaune's alright.

And he was beaten a lot.

There was no preamble, no words exchanged between the two of them. Raven prepared, and Jaune already resigned to the fight. Not to say that he was going to intentionally throw it of course.

Movement was a flurry, at least from Raven's side. Jaune moved fast, faster than Saphron had ever seen him move, an ten year old fighting desperately against a full grown adult.

Why was Raven doing this?

Was it something like training? If it was, why? What was Raven training Jaune for?

Or did Raven just find some sick satisfaction in using him as a punching bag?

Sometimes that seemed like a more likely answer to Saphron, given the fact that Raven never says anything constructive to Jaune while they were 'fighting'. But sometimes Saphron wasn't sure. There was always small hints of positive emotion that flashed through Raven's face when Jaune was able to stand his ground, and hints annoyance when Jaune couldn't get past something that Raven had thrown at him time and time again.

For example, Jaune seemed to have the ducking and weaving out of the way of Raven's sword almost perfect, something that didn't take long for him to figure out when it would cut long, shallow, stinging scars into his limbs. But when Raven decided to use her boot to punt him, it always seemed to catch him off guard.

Jaune reinforced the idea when he failed to dodge the foot that shot out, letting out a cry as he flew through the air, some of the bandits that were watching letting out a chuckle at the sight.

Saphron made sure to glare extra hard at them.

Returning her attention back towards the match, Saphron bit her lip, watching carefully to make sure that Jaune was alright. Well, as alright as he could be in this situation.

 _Just stay down, Jaune. Please._

Jaune didn't hear Saphron's silent plea, knees shaking a little as he fell into some semblance of a stance.

When did he learn how to do that?

The stance fell apart pretty quickly against Raven's assault, but Saphron spotted the gleam in her eyes when she attacked.

Was Jaune actually learning something from this?

Another hit propelled Jaune into Saphron's arms, the little boy knocked out cold. Sheathing the sword, Raven turned around, walking away without another word.

Saphron turned her attention to Jaune, mentally counting the cuts and bruises on him before she lifted him up into her arms, ready to head back towards her tent. Ignoring the taunts and jeers from the other bandits, Vernal fell beside her, expression hidden as she escorted the two of them.

"Why is Raven doing this to Jaune?"

Saphron's voice was quiet, but firm, eyes glued to Jaune as she settled him onto her bed, pulling out a first aid kit. The question was directed to Vernal, who shifted when Saphron spoke, but didn't answer right away.

"Does it really matter why?" Vernal finally spoke up, crossing her arms. "It's not like knowing will stop her from beating the hell out of him." Saphron's hands stilled as Vernal kept talking. "Shouldn't you just be grateful that Raven hasn't decided to kill him yet? Honestly, I'm not sure what she sees in the brat, but it's really my place to question her."

Saphron turned to Vernal, eyes aflame. "Really? Just like that, huh? Yes, ma'am, no questions asked?" Saphron sneered at the girl. "I didn't realize you were that easy to tame."

"I am _not_ tame." Vernal snarled, taking a step forward. "Don't you dare—"

"Dare?" Saphron barked out a bitter laugh. "Please, Vernal. Let's not pretend anymore. You're all bark, no bite." Saphron took another step forward, almost chest-to-chest with Vernal. "You're not going to do anything to me, and you know why?" Saphron poked Vernal in her chest, causing her to take a single step back, Vernal's teeth exposed into a vicious snarl. "Because you wouldn't do anything that would make Raven upset, would you, little doggy?"

Blinding pain blossomed across Saphron's cheek as she stumbled backwards, hand cupping her cheek as she looked at Vernal in surprise. The other girl took several steps forward, hand still in the air as she did so, making Saphron fall onto the ground and scramble backwards. Feeling the wind leave her lungs, Saphron curled up into a ball as Vernal kicked her.

"Don't you _dare_ say that." Saphron yelped in pain as Vernal grabbed onto her hair, pulling her to eye level. "You think you're safe because Raven said so? She might be our leader, but that doesn't mean she has the respect of everyone." Shaking Saphron harshly, Vernal dragged out another pained whimper. "I respect her. And that's why I follow her orders. You're lucky I'm patient enough to deal with your bullshit. And yes," Vernal smirked, eyes flashing. "Compared to some of the other guys out there, I _am_ patient." Tossing Saphron onto the ground, Vernal went around the girl, pulling out a sharp blade and laid it on Jaune's throat.

"No!" Saphron dove at the girl, earning another slap on the cheek that sent her careening to the side.

Vernal watched dispassionately, knife dangerously close to Jaune's neck.

"What're you doing?" Saphron choked out, tears falling from the corner of her eyes. Was Jaune going to die because of her big mouth? Vernal watched the other girl for a little longer before pulling the blade away.

"I'm getting you to understand your place here." Vernal grabbed Saphron by her hair again, for once, the blonde letting Vernal do so without a fight. Jerking her hair, Vernal made sure to meet the other girl's eyes. "You're only here through Raven's mercy. But no misunderstand. You piss off the wrong person, and it won't matter that you're under Raven's protection. You'll be too dead to worry. Or..." Vernal casted an obvious glance at the bed ridden boy. "Someone else'll be too dead for it to matter."

Vernal made sure Saphron understood the message that she was trying to get through, before letting go.

"Think about that for a second." Vernal said, the flap of the tent opening and closing and she strode out.

Saphron sat there, arms wrapping around her knees as she buried her head into her lap, sobs threatening to choke her. With Jaune out, and Vernal not looking over her shoulder, Saphron let herself have a second to be the sixteen-year old that she was supposed to be.

She let herself break down, crying as she quietly swore at the world, futilely wondering why fate was so cruel as to leave her like this.

Saphron let the tears flow, but stood back up, hands shaking as she rummaged through the first aid kit. She would let herself break apart when no one else was looking. She deserved that much.

But Jaune needed her.

And Saphron needed Jaune just as much.


	4. Chapter 4

Skidding to the side, Jaune rolled back up semi-smoothly, facing Raven, a vicious snarl on his face.

Today was the day.

Today was when he'd finally beat the smug look off of her face.

After he was able to knock the mask off of her first.

Messy, half-thrown blows were exchanged between the two of them, before Raven managed to somehow gain the upper hand again, pinning him onto the ground underneath her boot. Jaune struggled futilely, slapping his hand against her legs to try and unpin himself.

Finally there was a sigh Raven lifted her foot off of him, shaking her head.

"Pathetic." Raven said, letting the word tear through him.

Jaune was used to the disappointed looks. He was used to the repeated mantras of 'fight or die'.

This was the first time Raven had ever expressed herself in words.

He didn't know why it hurt him so much, he shouldn't be placing so much into the words of his kidnapper.

"Seven months," Raven stated, waving a hand, Vernal appearing beside her, holding a struggling Saphron in her arms. "and I don't see any improvement. Nothing that even hints that my efforts aren't going to waste." Jaune tried to say something, anything, but his throat closed up on him, cutting off any speech. "I hoped for better." Raven turned to Saphron. "I guess you'll have to disappoint two people then."

A swing of her sword brought Jaune up to his feet, an ugly sound wrenched out of him as he watched his sister fall to the ground, dead.

"Are you going to let everyone you care for die, Jaune?" Raven tilted her head, voice mocking as Jaune rushed over, tears blurring his vision as he tried to either attack her or get closer to Saphron. He wasn't sure which. Pushed effortlessly away, Raven continued to belittle him.

"Are you going to stand by and be weak forever, Jaune? Are you going to let everyone you care about die while you just sit there? Like your dad? Like your sisters?" Raven snorted, shaking her head.

"Stop pretending to be so helpless, Jaune." Raven reached up, slowly removing her mask to reveal blue eyes, and a cascade of blonde locks. "Or you may lose what little you have left."

Jaune woke up with a jolt, the image of the angry scar wrapped around her throat burned into his mind.

Curling up in his bed, he hid his face with his hands, doing his best to control the shivering as he tried to push another nightmare away.

"Just a dream. It was just a dream," He muttered to himself, taking deep breaths as he did so. One more sigh left him as he let his legs slide off of the bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he tried to adjust to the morning light that was hitting the window of his tent.

Eight months.

It had been eight months since he and Saphron had been captured, eight months of fighting and surviving as he was thrown into one of the weirdest routines he'd ever heard of, let alone experience.

Almost every day was a battle, literally, as Jaune seemed to always find himself face to face with Raven. At first, it was always a straightforward head-to-head, always a little bit after noon, always in the same clearing that they had fought in the first time Jaune and Saphron had been kidnapped.

Then, it changed.

After waiting for Raven for almost an hour at the clearing, Jaune put down the knife he was always provided for him at the clearing, assuming that Raven had taken that day off, or something.

Instead, he found himself ambushed about halfway back to his tent, fighting desperately against a new kind of fear that Raven managed to instill into him.

The fear of the unknown.

From that day onwards, Jaune found himself constantly on edge, waiting for the next move from Raven. Sometimes it would be quiet for a few days, other times he would find himself at odds with the woman twice within a span of six hours. Jaune learned to keep the knife on him at all times, especially when Raven had ambushed him as he was bathing in the river, the embarrassment almost drowning out the adrenaline that had surged through him.

The fighting made the days blur together.

What made it worse were the random days when Saphron managed to find him and herself some free time, sitting him down as she droned on about the basics of math, and bits of history, and forced him to read books that she managed to steal somehow.

Jaune loved spending time with his only sister, but she made it pretty hard for him to stay awake and appreciate the time they had together.

Nonetheless, Jaune learned throughout the eight months, both in fighting and the mind.

Raven even started to throw in tips as she brutally disassembled him in their fights, Jaune learning very quickly that whatever 'technique' she was showing him needed to internalized _real_ quick.

Jaune still didn't know exactly why Raven had kidnapped the two of them, but the only thing that really mattered as of now was that she was teaching Jaune how to be stronger.

He just wasn't sure if he was strong enough for whatever Raven needed him for yet.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to be.

Jaune slid on his shirt, wincing a little as the rough cloth bumped against the numerous bruises speckling his body. The area of Mistral that the Branwen camp was in was a little too warm sometimes, especially under a thick blanket. Jaune leaned over and pulled his knife out from under his pillow, strapping it to his side with another wince as he pulled the sheath around him tightly.

The entrance flap flipped open, Saphron's head popping into view, scanning the room before her gaze fell onto Jaune, a grin lining her face.

"Hey sis," Jaune greeted, a smile on his face as the girl stepped through, both hands behind her back. Jaune's eyes narrowed at that, not trusting the gesture. Sure, she was his sister, but that just meant that instead of a potentially dangerous surprise, it would be a potentially humiliating surprise. "What've you got there?" He asked casually, taking a cautious step backwards as his hands twitched reflexively. Saphron's grin grew wider as she took another step towards him.

"Why're you so curious so early in the morning, Jaune?" Saphron teased, tilting her head. "I can't just have my hands behind my back for no reason?"

"... No." Jaune let the word trail away as he matched her step forwards with an equal step backwards, cursing in his mind as he realized he was still a lot shorter than she was, which meant that she was steadily closing the already small gap in between them.

"Are you nervous, Jaune?" Saphron let her voice dip a little lower, putting on a very fake hurt look. Jaune hesitated for a second before nodding, not ashamed at being scared of whatever she had behind her back. Sure, Jaune could probably outmaneuver his way around her, with how much experience he's had in doing that now, as well as being half her size.

But she knew where he slept. That didn't bode well for him.

"Do you know what day it is, Jaune?" The question caught him off guard, his eyes widening as he tried to remember if there was a special occasion that he was missing.

"Tuesday?" Jaune asked weakly, almost a hundred percent positive that wasn't the answer she was looking for. Saphron rolled her eyes, taking another step.

"No. Try again."

Jaune scratched the back of his neck, still unsure of what answer she wanted from him.

"I... don't know." He said meekly, hoping that she wouldn't be too harsh on whatever lecture she had planned, knowing that Jaune wouldn't be able to answer the question.

But there wasn't a lecture, at least not straight away. Instead, a strange look passed on Saphron's face. The smile momentarily falling before replacing itself with a thin hum. Jaune almost thought that he was seeing things for a second.

"Well, if you don't remember, I guess there's no reason for you to get a birthday present then." Saphron shrugged, taking a step back. "Oh well. And I put so much effort into finding you something too."

Jaune blinked for a second.

"Wait. It's my birthday today?"

Saphron raised an eyebrow to the question, Jaune smiling sheepishly.

"Yes, silly. It's your birthday." Saphron squinted for a second, before shaking her head in resignation, pulling her hands from behind her back, revealing a cereal box with a little bunny on it. Jaune dove at the box, eyes wide.

"You got me Pumpkin Pete's?" Jaune half yelled, turning the box around to marvel at the rectangular box. "How'd you even find this here?" Saphron leaned against his makeshift desk, something that she had built for him to do 'homework' on.

"Oh you know. A big sis has her ways." Saphron couldn't help but preen a little at the look of awe that Jaune was sending her. "Let's just say it wasn't easy," Saphron wagged a finger at him. "You have no idea what lengths I had to go through to get it."

Jaune nodded, leaping into Saphron's arms as he hugged her, gratitude seeping out of him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Jaune couldn't hold it any longer, practically bouncing up and down as he pried the top of the box open, ripping open the plastic bag inside and taking a deep whiff, almost resembling one of the Branwen bandits when they got their hands on quality drugs.

"You're 'fa bes' sisther efer!" Jaune shouted, spraying cereal crumbs as he said so.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Saphron rebuked, wagging a finger at him. Jaune made sure to swallow before he continued to talk.

"Sorry," Jaune apologized before repeating what he had just said. "You're the best sister ever!"

"I know." Saphron tossed her head, cocking her hip to the side as she smiled. "I mean, it's pretty obvious, seeing as how I remembered your birthday even though you probably don't remember mine."

"What? I do too!" Jaune exclaimed, leaning over and whispering it into her ear. Saphron couldn't help but be impressed.

"Alright, fair enough, I suppose."

The two of them sat down on Jaune's bed, Saphron watching indulgently as Jaune shoveled the cereal into his mouth, crunching happily as he hummed quietly to himself, happy at the moment.

"So," Saphron finally interrupted, putting a gentle hand on the box, not sure she wanted to watch Jaune down the whole box of cereal in one go. It was a big box, but Jaune was starting to eat his weight in food, and Saphron wasn't sure if she could control a ten-year old that had combat training on that much of a sugar high. "How do you feel now? Ten years old, almost eleven. You must feel like an adult already." The words were teasing, but Jaune's pause made it less so as he turned to face her. Even with crumbs on his cheeks and chin, Saphron had to admit that his eyes showed a different image.

Jaune didn't answer, instead snuggling into Saphron's arm, happy to feel warm against his older sister.

"I kind of want to be a kid for a little longer."

The confession was quiet, almost as if had Jaune said it any louder, the world would go out of its way to turn him into an adult.

Saphron squeezed him tightly, placing a loving kiss on his hair.

"You've still got a while before you're anywhere close to being an adult, buddy." _Even if you've been through worse than most adults,_ the thought flitting through her mind. "And no matter what, you'll always be my little brother." Saphron stood up, spinning the boy around, making him squeal in excitement.

"Stop it!" Jaune laughed as he tried to struggle his way out. "You're going to spill my Pumpkin Pete's!"

Saphron's eyes narrowed. "Oh, so you care more about your cereal than your big sis, huh? I'm offended!" She spun even faster, making both of them laugh. Losing her footing, the two of them collapsed into a heap, neither in a hurry to get up as they both clutched their stomach, laughing too hard to do anything else.

Quieting down was hard, but eventually they managed, Jaune sobering up with the memory of the nightmare that woke him up this morning.

The two of them laid on the floor, listening to the wind, and the bustling outside as the morning light roused the rest of the inhabitants of the Branwen tribe.

"How long do you think we'll be stuck here?"

Saphron turned her head to look at Jaune, his question quiet. Her first reaction was to lie to him, to tell him that any day they would be able to escape, and start a new life. But that wouldn't be right of her to do.

"I don't know," Saphron confessed, hugging her brother tightly. "That doesn't mean we won't get out of here though," she added. Jaune gripped her tightly, giving a her a small smile as he did so.

"Isn't this the cutest thing?"

The two of them separated reluctantly, the both of them glaring at Vernal, a smug smile on her lips as she crossed her arms.

"Oh, don't stop just 'cause I stepped in. Please, cuddle on." She drawled, one of her hands on her hips.

"You're a bitch, Vernal." Saphron shot back, standing up and brushing the dirt off of her pants, helping Jaune back up to his feet. Vernal didn't even bother responding, rolling her eyes as she watched the both of them with half-lidded eyes, bored.

"Whatever. You're needed in camp. Dinner needs to be ready by the time we're back."

"We're back?" Saphron asked, confused.

"Dinner?" Jaune asked, eyebrows scrunching, wondering why they were skipping out on lunch. Vernal nodded, turning her attention onto the young boy.

"Yeah. Raven wants you to join the raid today. Let's go."

* * *

"Wait up!" Jaune pushed past another bandit, ignoring the snarl that the guy gave in favor of trying to catch up with Vernal, who naturally was given a wide berth by the other tribe members. "Vernal, why does Raven want me to go? Vernal, stop moving, why does Raven want me to go? Vernal!"

The girl finally stopped moving, spinning around with her teeth bared, rage barely concealed in her eyes.

"Who the fuck cares why?" Vernal half screamed, advancing on the boy. "Raven says you're going, and no matter what you and I think, that means you're going." She poked the boy in the chest. "So stop being such a whiny brat and shut up and stop yelling!"

Jaune shut up, glowering at her as he let Vernal's echo bounce around for a second. Attacking her wouldn't have made a difference, Jaune nowhere near the level of skill and viciousness that the other girl was at. So without the option to win an impromptu brawl against the girl, Jaune nodded once and followed the girl silently.

Arriving in the ever present clearing, finding it full with dozens bandits, some excited, some tired, some hung-over. At the head of it all was Raven, her Grimm mask on as she looked above the crowd, waiting for them to calm down. Once the tribesmen quieted down, Raven began to speak.

"People, the seasons change. It's time for us to replenish our stocks before the winter sets in." Raven started pacing back and forth as she spoke. "The target is the village of Jegat. Our scouts say they've had a decent harvest for the summer." Raven fell silent for a second, before turning to the group. "I think it's time for us to relieve them of it."

The bandits cheered, the noise loud, drowning out even the rushing river nearby.

Jaune didn't join in, fist gripping tightly on the sheath of the knife he was holding.

"Boy!" Raven's word stopped them from cheering, all of them shifting away from Jaune. "You're with me. Everyone else, we move in an hour."

Jaune clambered over towards Raven as she went back into her tent. Neither of them said a word as Raven grabbed a bag, tossing it over to the boy and reaching over and pulling out a knife that looked much newer than the one he had strapped to his side. Jaune barely caught it as she threw it towards him. Inspecting the sheath, the outside seemed to be made of quality leather, something Jaune could tell because of the not so quality leather that he was using for his own sheath. Looking at Raven for permission, Jaune pulled the blade out, marveling how the knife almost gleamed. It was beautiful.

"I heard from your sister that it was birthday today." The comment had Jaune reeling for a second, the boy looking up quickly in disbelief that Raven would even care about his birthday, let alone give him something because of it.

"This is... for me?" Jaune asked weakly. Raven nodded once, before pointing at the sack at his feet.

"Grab it. You're going to need it for the raid."

Jaune did as she said, head still spinning from confusion at the present.

"W-what're you going to need me to do?"

"Fill the bag up with food. Canned food, preserved food. Find the grain, if you see anything of value, grab that as well." Raven paused for a second. "If anyone attacks, defend yourself."

Jaune looked at the woman, not for the first time cursing the fact that he couldn't read Raven when she wore the mask.

"You mean kill them."

Raven's head turned slightly towards him before turning her attention back on the papers that lay at her desk. "Do what you must."

Jaune nodded, slinging the bag over his shoulder and moving the old knife towards his lower back, strapping the new one in its place.

Present or not, Jaune wasn't planning on killing anyone.

The rest of the time passed quickly, bandits entering and leaving the tent as they received orders from Raven, a small map tacked onto a large board.

When the time finally came, Raven gestured to Jaune, leaving the tent to find rows of men and women, all equipped and ready to spill blood.

The march was long, longer than he expected, not realizing that they weren't taking any main roads. It made sense, as a large group of bandits traveling on the main road would raise flags. What Jaune didn't realize was that meant battling through miles of brush and forest, a dozen or so bandits sent ahead and another dozen behind to make sure that they weren't being snuck on by Grimm.

About three hours and two water bottles later, Jaune felt palatable relief when Raven raised a hand, one of the bandit scouts returning, whispering something into her ear. Jaune took the brief second to half collapse, hands on his knees as he tried to take deep breaths.

Turning around, Raven nodded at the group behind her, Jaune turning around to watch everyone scatter almost chaotically, disappearing after a few feet of trees and bush hid them.

Raven waited for a second before she turned her attention onto Jaune.

"Do you remember what you need to do?" She asked.

Jaune paused, before nodding hesitantly, hands touching the bag and the two knives he had. Raven watched him carefully before she pulled off her own bag, opening it and pulling it out a mask similar to hers, just built to be a tad smaller. She handed it to Jaune, who looked at her questioningly.

"Put it on." Raven said, waiting for him to do so before adding, "And do not take it off unless I tell you to. Understood?"

Jaune gave it a little bit before answering with a nod, trying to get used to using the slots in the mask as eyeholes.

Once he oriented himself properly, Jaune followed Raven, who was starting to walk away.

The trees broke away, and the tall grass receded before they were met with a man in simple leather armor. The man's eyes narrowed as he found himself in the presence of the masked boy and woman, hand falling onto what looked like a hunting rifle.

"Halt! Who goes there?" His voice was loud enough to attract some of the other patrolmen, who turned and grabbed their own weapons.

Raven took two steps forward and drew her blade, Jaune's eyes widening behind the mask he was wearing as he watched the man fall in two distinct pieces.

A loud bang echoed through the village as one of the other patrolmen took a shot at Raven, who deflected it with her blade, before lunging at the closest one and impaling him.

The gunshot gave rise to numerous battle cries as the trees gave way to the bandits, who rushed into the village, some wielding flaming torches.

Raven turned to Jaune and pointed at the patrolmen she had all dealt with.

"Shuffle through their pockets, see if they have anything of value." She said, before walking leisurely towards the rest of the village.

Jaune waited until she was out of sight before lifting his mask, and throwing up all over the grass.


	5. Chapter 5

**Just a quick warning, things get a little graphic in this chapter.**

* * *

It was pretty clear now to Jaune that he had no idea how horrible the raid was going to go.

He stepped gingerly past a dead woman's body, her face still contorted in a pleading expression as he pulled what he assumed was her home's door out of the way, the frame creaking as it gave up and fell away, the loud noise making Jaune jump.

Walking into the room, he already found most of it ransacked, the couch torn up, a vase shattered on the floor, and the rug stained with blood.

There was another scream upstairs, followed by a body falling down the stairs, making Jaune freeze.

One of the Branwen bandits entered the room, eyebrows raised at the masked boy.

"Heh. Didn't realize that Raven let go of your leash boy." The grin the man had on his face sent shivers down Jaune's spine. "Be careful 'round here. Wouldn't want you getting into an unfortunate accident, would we? Raven'd be pissed." He drawled, before something else caught his eye.

Another man peeked out from the top of the stairs, eyes narrowed until he saw who was talking.

"What's that brat doing here, Coop?" The man went down the stairs two at a time, before leaning over the man's body that had fallen down the stairs, using the shirt and wipe off the blood on his blade.

"I dunno. Think Raven's letting him experience the best part of being in the tribe!" Coop let out a laugh before pointing. "Come on Steff, help me get this screen off the wall." Jaune decided that it would be best for him to leave the two to their own devices, retreating out of the house, unsure of where to look as the town burned around him.

 _I was a part of this._

Jaune shut the words out of his mind, knowing that way only lead to madness. True, he was involved, almost directly so. But he was just as unwilling as any of the civilians here were in the scheme of things. His heart protested the distinction, but movement caught the corner of his eye, distracting him enough as he pulled the new blade that Raven had gifted him out of its sheath. Turning, Jaune's heart stopped as he was met with two kids that were about the same age as him.

Both in dirty clothing, the boy's face contorted into a snarl, a crooked knife in his hand as the girl held what looked like a mallet in her hands.

Not sure what to do, Jaune stood there awkwardly, knife held loosely in his hand.

"Leave these people alone." The boy said, his quiet voice only slightly quivering. The words spurred Jaune into action, the blond boy putting the dagger away and raising his hands in surrender.

"Hey, I'm not a part of this." Jaune tried to go for reassuring, which the two didn't react to very well, both of them tensing at the words. Gritting his teeth, Jaune let out a sigh, his hands slowly moving up towards his face.

"Don't move!" The pink-eyed boy yelled, taking a step forwards, eyes wide. The girl followed hesitantly a second later, brandishing the mallet as menacingly as a seven to ten year old could. Jaune paused for a second, before continuing, pulling off his mask and revealing to the other two a boy of similar age, and not a bloodthirsty bandit.

"I'm not one of them." Jaune's tone was firm, hands bunched tightly. The other boy glanced down at the mask in question, before narrowing his eyes at Jaune, demanding an explanation. Jaune looked away first. "I-I don't had a choice," he whispered, pained at having to admit it. "But you don't have to be." Turning his gaze back at the other two, a grim smile on his face.

"Go."

The boy tilted his head, not understanding.

"You guys need to leave," Jaune continued, gesturing at the two of them. "This village is going to burn to the ground, and two kids aren't going to save it from that. Leave now, and save yourselves."

The two of them looked at each other, clearly confused as to why Jaune was giving them the out.

"Look," Jaune tried for a different approach, a little frustrated that they haven't turned tail and left yet. Probably scared that it was a feint by the blond, that they would be attacked from behind. "I'm not going to do anything. Please, just go."

The tone that Jaune took was close to pleading, and finally, there was a spark of understanding from the Mistralian boy. It still took a moment too long for him to nod slowly, but Jaune counted it as a win when they started to back away. Turning away, Jaune tried to focus on the mission that Raven had given him, before the other boy interrupted his train of thought.

"You could come with us."

Jaune paused, heart hammering for a second. The offer was tempting. Very much so. He could finally get away from Raven, Vernal, all of the other horrible people from the tribe. He could be free.

But...

Saphron was still there, waiting for him to come back. What would happen if he decided to take off now? Would they let her free? Would they tell her that he died? Would they just kill her? He couldn't imagine in any of those cases Saphron would be unaffected. He couldn't do that to her. He wouldn't.

"Thank you," Jaune whispered, a strained smile on his face. "But I can't."

The other boy opened his mouth, wanting to say something, before the girl tugged at his sleeve, turning him away. Jaune trusted that would be the end of that, and took off, putting the mask back on.

His instincts screamed at him, causing him to stop short for a split second, long enough for a blade to pass in front of him, a man appearing as he stepped out of a dark alleyway. Clothed in red and black, Jaune relaxed for a second, thinking that one of the Branwen tribesmen must have mistaken him for a civilian. A sloppy swing disabused him of that notion, as the man snarled and dived at Jaune, who kicked out in self-defense.

"What're you doing?" Jaune half-yelled, stumbling a few steps back. The man grinned, brandishing the rusty looking sword menacingly.

"I saw what just happened, boy." The man's gravelly tone sent shivers down Jaune's spine. "Letting those two go's a bad way to do business in the Branwen tribe, kiddo."

"I'm not part of the tribe," Jaune spat out angrily, taking a step back as the man started to chuckle.

"Oh, I know boy. Trust me, there's a lot of us that know that. Not that it matters with the top bitch." The man sneered, smiling wider as Jaune realized that he had been backing into a wall, no other escape route but through the man. "What's your deal?"

"Huh?" Jaune didn't understand what the man was talking about, sweat beading his forehead as he frantically searched for a way out of this.

"What's your fucking deal?" The man repeated, scowl on his face. "Why's a kid like you, from the middle of bumfuck nowhere, get the special treatment? She into little kids or somethin'?"

"What're you talking about?" Jaune demanded, his right hand falling to the knife on his hip. The action wasn't lost onto the man, whose smile only widened further.

"I guess a dumb little brat like you wouldn't get it, would you?" The man spread out his arms, as if to hug the boy. "There's a pecking order in this world, boy. And for some goddamn reason, you got to jump all the way up to the top," The man spit on the ground, darkness clouding his eyes. "When you should be six feet under the ground right now."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jaune repeated, this time letting the anger seep into his voice. Top of the pecking order? What? Did no one watch when Raven was beating him black and blue? Or was it that being Raven's punching bag was somehow the top of the rung on the ladder? "You know what? It doesn't matter," Jaune said, slashing the air in front of him with his left hand. "Get out of the way, or else." Jaune hoped that the man wouldn't see through his bluff, the boy trying to put on his most menacing voice.

"Or what?" The man laughed mockingly, surprised that the boy would even attempt at such a poor bluff. "You'll tell on me to your abusive, replacement mom?"

That was the last straw, Jaune lunging at the man, knife flashing as Jaune aimed for the legs, hoping to hamstring him and get past. The rusty sword found its way in between the target, and Jaune was forced to back away, before ducking as the sword shifted and came down on him in an overhead swing, the blade whistling past him.

Back on his feet, Jaune pulled out his other knife as well, gripping both blades like ice picks.

"Aw, little boy thinks he knows what he's doing." The man mocked him, before raising the sword into another overhead blow. Jaune shimmied to the right, crossing his arms as he saw the man lift his boot, catching it on his forearms, wincing at the pain, but only stumbling back a step, with enough recovery time to roll out of the way from a clumsy thrust.

 _He's so much slower than Raven is._ The revelation emboldened Jaune, this time moving to the left of another overhead swing, going on the offensive as his let his knives move, cutting through the man's clothes, tracing a cut under his ribs. It wasn't very deep, but must've stung, judging from the man's sharp intake, as well as a roaring curse as Jaune found himself blocking another kick, this one powered by enough rage that it left Jaune short of breath, stumbling and falling backwards onto the ground.

Not giving himself any time to rest, Jaune continued to tumble backwards, hearing the sword sail through the air where he had just been.

Again, Jaune went on the offensive, just barely ducked past a hasty stab as Jaune swung, this time aiming for the man's unprotected forearm, getting a yelp of pain from the bandit. Not deep enough to nick any arteries it seemed, with the man still holding onto his sword.

There was no hesitation though, as Jaune took advantage in whatever small amount of damage he had done, and continued his assault, swinging both blade haphazardly, tearing through the man's shirt a few times, but not really making any lasting damage. What it did do was cause the man to back away, giving Jaune a little bit more room to maneuver.

"Let me go."

The man barked out a laugh. "You think I'd let you do that? You'll just tell queen bitch, and I'll be a dead man anyways." The sword went up again, blood dripping steadily onto the ground. "I'll take my chances."

Jaune mirrored the steps that the man made, trying to keep space in between them, but knowing that he was at a disadvantage here, the sword giving the already taller man more reach than Jaune could hope to have at this age.

"What if I promise not to tell on you?"

The man paused, almost seeming to consider it before rolling his eyes.

"I don't think I'm going to risk my life on a pinky promise, brat."

He hadn't finished the sentence before lunging forwards, catching Jaune off guard, not giving him any time to duck, forcing the boy to take hurried steps backwards. It still wasn't enough, the blade piercing through Jaune's shirt, nicking him in the shoulder and transforming into a rough line as the man pulled the blade up, making Jaune cry out in pain.

The cry spurred the man on, taking a step forwards, another overhead strike ready to finish the fight.

Gritting his teeth, Jaune took several steps forwards, letting the man's fist land on him instead of the blade, gasping as pain exploded from his already injured shoulder, causing him to drop the knife in his offhand. Still, the pain wasn't anything new, and Jaune pushed through, cutting a much deeper wound into the man's stomach.

"Fuck!" The man swung at Jaune with his other hand, stars exploding as the man struck Jaune across the temple, causing him to fall flat, the mask flying off into the distance. Hand touching the wound, the man grit his teeth, rage roiling off of him.

"You fucker." The man kicked Jaune in the ribs, leaving him gasping for breath. "You think you're hot shit, don't you?" Another kick sent Jaune rolling across the ground. "You think you can make a fool out of me? I'm twice your age, you fucking brat! You think you can take me!?" The man swung the blade down once more, aiming to cleave Jaune's head off of his shoulders.

Jaune couldn't let that happen. Wouldn't, actually, as he sat up suddenly, ignoring the blade whistling next to him as he screamed bloody murder, stabbing the man in the throat, blood spurting out and all over him, some of it even making its way into the boy's mouth. The taste was horrible and metallic, but what was worse was the noise that the man let out, a bloody gurgle that only caused more blood to pour out as the man shuddered, the body losing strength and collapsing on top of Jaune.

Without much strength left, Jaune couldn't move the body off of himself, struggling futilely as blood continued to smear all over him. He screamed. A lot. He couldn't help it.

Emotions came and left him like flashes of light, draining him even further as he tried to process the death of the man, and the fact that he had just murdered someone, and that it was nothing like anything he could have ever imagined.

Without meaning to, Jaune managed to turn onto his side, throwing up, letting the mess pool around his face as he started to sob.

The sobbing turned into a scream as another dead body flopped its way next to him, the dead eyes staring right at him.

"Not bad." Raven crossed her arms, mask still on as she examined the boy trapped underneath the body. "The execution was messy, and the planning was slipshod. But in the end, you did manage to kill him, and the end results are what matters, so I'll give you this one." Raven sighed, shaking her head a little. "Although next time, maybe try and not get pinned by the body. It's not every day that you only have to fight one person, after all."

Jaune groaned and continued to struggle, freeing most of his upper body, and sliding his legs out slowly. Wiping away the tears, blood, and vomit from his face, Jaune leaned over and threw up again, dry heaving for the last part as his stomach found nothing else to expel.

"Y-you were watching?" Jaune whispered, too tired to be angry.

Raven didn't answer, instead watching impassively as Jaune slowly picked himself up, legs shaking horribly.

"Grab your knife and his sword," Raven gestured at the two weapons, rifling through her pack as she pulled out a small flare gun. "It's about time we left town." She shot the flare into the sky, walking towards the exit of the alleyway.

"Were you watching me?" Jaune asked again, energy returning to him as he stumbled after her, anger starting to course through him.

"Stop asking stupid questions." Raven answered, turning to look at Jaune. "Of course I was."

The shaking started again, this time because of rage, and not exhaustion.

"Why didn't you stop him?"

"You seemed to have it handled."

The lackadaisical attitude drove a madness into Jaune as he charged in with the recovered sword. Raven didn't bother dodging, grabbing the sword with one of her hands and delivering a punishing blow as she kicked him, a heel pinning him down as it settled on his chest.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HIM?" Jaune roared, struggling hard before giving up, panting heavily. "You could've stopped us, stopped us before..."

"Before what, exactly?" Raven questioned him, leaning her weight onto him as she peered at him, lifting her mask up. Amusement seemed to line her features.

"B-before—" Jaune hiccupped, tears stinging the corner of his eyes. He broke off, turning away from the woman.

Raven wasn't having any of it, though.

"Say. It." Raven commanded, the words punctuated, hard, but quiet. Jaune swallowed thickly, turning his head slowly to look at her, the hint of amusement gone from her face.

"Before I killed him." The words were shaky, and Jaune's voice cracked a little when he said _the_ word, but it seemed to satisfy Raven, who let him out from under her boot. Jaune continued to lay there, sobs bubbling up from under his throat.

"Get over it."

"W-what?" The words broke through Jaune's grief, giving him energy to sit up, eyes wide as he watched the woman roll her eyes.

"Get over it." She repeated, crossing her arms. "This won't be the last time you'll need to kill someone. You willbe going on more raids. You willbe involved in what I tell you to do. And you willkill anything that stands in between you and what I have you do. Do you understand?"

"I-I..." Jaune's eyes hardened. "I'm not going to kill for you." He spat out, scrambling onto his feet. "Get someone else to do that for you." He crossed his arms in front of him. "I won't be your assassin."

The woman didn't look disturbed at the emotional outburst, almost looking bored.

"Assassin? Please," Raven scoffed. "Murderer words just fine."

"Either way," Jaune ground out, refusing to budge from the topic. Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Fine. I'll find someone else." Raven shrugged. "And the first person I'll have them kill will be your sister."

"You wouldn't." Jaune's heart dropped, having forgotten in the heat of the moment that Raven had Saphron in her clutches. The cruel woman let out a laugh, letting her head fall back for a moment.

"The next time you think that I wouldn't, talk to your sister first. I don't think I have many qualms killing her, do you?"

Jaune didn't have to think long on that, the scar across Saphron's throat flashing through his mind.

"I didn't think so." Raven whispered, approaching the boy, kneeling down to look into the defeated eyes of the boy. "You will do what I tell you, understand?"

Jaune nodded.

"Good." Raven stood up, putting her mask back on. "Now let's get out of here. I hate the smell of burning flesh."

###

"What did you do?"

Vernal looked up from her weapons, raising an eyebrow at the angry look on Saphron's face.

"What could you possibly be talking about?" Vernal drawled out, setting the gun brush that she had been holding aside.

"Don't play coy with me," Saphron poked Vernal in the breast, face getting close. "What did you guys do to Jaune?" Vernal rolled her eyes, grabbing onto Saphron's offending finger, bending it away from her, causing Saphron to let out a yelp of pain.

"First off, you _really_ need to lose the protective older sister vibe. Not hot." Vernal let go of the digit, Saphron retreating back a few steps, rubbing her finger tenderly. "And second off, I didn't do _anything_ to the brat. Pretty sure I was across the fucking town from him."

Saphron watched Vernal to see if the brute of a girl was lying or not, before sighing, leaving the bitch alone, barely acknowledging the shout that Vernal needed her laundry done tomorrow.

Jaune and Raven came back towards midnight, Saphron waiting worriedly at the front gate.

The sight of the limping Jaune was horrific, seeing crusted blood and who knows what else covering him. Saphron had rushed in to hug her little brother, but was forced to catch him instead, as he collapsed into her, sobbing and muttering unintelligibly. Raven and the rest of the tribe ignored them, stepping past as they set down everything they had looted, before grabbing the hunks of roasted meat and alcohol.

After the constant crying was over, Jaune barely seemed to respond to anything Saphron said, getting a slow nod when asked about any injuries, and flat out refusing to tell her anything that had happened during the raid.

Giving up, Saphron helped him to the river to bathe, Jaune sitting in the river and letting it flow past him, moving at a sloth's pace to scrub the gunk stuck on him. While he was doing that, Saphron inspected the clothes, looking at the blood and finding only one hole in the shirt. Saphron's heart sank as she pieced the puzzle together.

She didn't have the heart to question Jaune any further after that, tending to the wound on his shoulder before watching him as he crawled into bed, anger mounting slowly as he whimpered a few times in his sleep.

Saphron looked at the gathering hub, full of bandits at the moment, all of them caught up in their revelry. She found Raven sitting at the head of it all, nursing a mug, a small, but satisfied smile on her face.

Murder wasn't something that Saphron thought about too often, but she couldn't help but imagine impaling the woman and watching her scream as she died.

It was a satisfying thought.

Letting out another pained sigh, Saphron turned to walk back towards Jaune's tent, intent on staying with him the rest of the night, hoping her company would be able to comfort him from any nightmares that he was bound to have.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Just to let you guys know, I've made a mistake in Jaune's age, and I've updated all of the previous chapters to reflect that. Jaune at the start of the story is ten, not eight, and he's around twelve or thirteen now. I apologize for any confusion, and please don't hesitate to tell me if there are any discrepancies. I've tried my best to fix them, but I pretty dumb sometimes, lol.**

 **Trigger warning in this chapter too, but after that, things should start looking up. Hopefully.**

* * *

Saphron noticed that something was wrong when a group of bandits surrounded her.

Turning her attention away from the drying racks, Saphron raised an eyebrow, wondering what they needed. Usually, people came up to her one by one, throwing laundry or demanding her to make food for them. It didn't happen as often as it used to, after she made sure they understood that while she wasn't going to complain about having to do the Branwen tribe's dirty work, she wasn't going to be doing them at the bandits' paces.

And it only took a few lost loads of laundry for Saphron to get that through their heads, too.

"Do you guys need something?" Saphron asked, eyeing the last laundry pile that she needed to put up for the day. Afterwards, she would have free reign for a few hours, before she had to check on the roast that she had put up for Raven and Vernal. She was only required to do the cleaning and laundry, but Vernal had managed to wrestle down a wild boar, and had actually asked Saphron nicely if she could do something with it, Vernal's cooking skills being nonexistent.

A tall, lanky man crossed his arms, glaring angrily at her.

Those kind of glares didn't really bother her anymore, being on the butt end of them frequently enough from Vernal. Compared to hers, the man's glare didn't even make Saphron twitch.

"You an' yer brother've been overstayin' yer welcome." The man mumbled out, pointing an accusing finger at the unamused girl. Saphron crossed her arms, jutting out a hip.

"Sorry about that. Me and my brother'll just leave then." Saphron rolled her eyes. "I'll tell Raven that you don't want us sticking around. I'm sure she'll just give us some bags and send us on our way."

The man flushed angrily at the mocking tone, stepping closer towards Saphron.

"You an' yer brother can keep hidin' behind the twisted bitch all you want." The man sneered. "Sooner 'r later, people'll see it our way." The rest of the group nodded, voicing their opinions as well.

"She needs to stop wasting our time!"

"Needs to stop wasting our resources!"

"She just needs to stop!"

Saphron didn't speak, watching the group dispassionately as they whined and moaned. As the little group started to notice that Saphron hadn't reacted to their clear malice, they slowly fell silent. The first step of the plan was to have the blonde cower and tremble at their anger, but with their threats falling short, the group looked uncertainly at each other, the air growing awkward.

The man leading them didn't seem to be deterred though, continuing with his rant.

"Raven needs to learn a lesson." The man slammed a fist into his palm, the gaps in his teeth showing as he grinned. "Maybe you can send her a message after we rough you up a bit."

For the first time since the group surrounded her, Saphron felt a chill go down her back. Watching the other men and women leer from behind the taller man, Saphron understood what kind of roughhousing they were intending to do to her.

Nevertheless, Saphron didn't back down, making sure her expression was schooled into absolute boredom.

"Maybe you should go back to your tent, find your balls, and talk to the woman herself." Saphron drawled out, leaning casually against one of the drying racks. "But I can see how that would be too much for someone... like you." Saphron tilted her head downwards, a small grin appearing as the man's skin tone went from red to almost purple in hue.

"You... you... bitch!" The man roared, diving at Saphron.

Unfortunately for him, with all the posturing and strutting that him and his group had been doing, Saphron didn't even pretend to be surprised by the attack, twisting away and placing a foot in front of him, causing him to yell out in surprise, followed by a loud splash as he fell into the river.

Saphron cursed at the fact that she had decided to do laundry at one of the shallow banks in the river, instead of the rapids.

The group in front of her pulled out their weapons, a lot of them secondhand, or worse. One even looked like someone had taped a knife onto the handle of a revolver.

Saphron eyed them carefully. They didn't seem like the brightest bunch, but even the smallest woman was bigger than her, and Saphron wasn't the sibling that was being trained by Raven.

Hearing a splash from behind her, Saphron turned to find the tall man soaked through, eyes alight with rage.

"And I was planning on taking it gentle with you," The man snarled, before diving again.

The group had fanned out into a half circle, covering off any escape, unless Saphron wanted to wade through the river. Shallow as it was, the river was still uneven, and Saphron highly doubted she would be able to make a quick getaway in that direction.

Paralyzed with indecision, Saphron allowed the man to get too close, and gave him the opportunity to take a swing at her. The blow rocked her head backwards, stars exploding in front of her before she could react. Hearing the others shuffle towards her, Saphron pushed herself away from the man, losing her balance and falling to the ground.

"Right where I want ya." The man growled, looming over her.

Saphron grit her teeth and kicked out with her boot, making contact as the man screeched loudly, backing away, knees tucked. Scrambling back on her feet, Saphron held her fists up uncertainly, looking at the other four with what she hoped was a menacing glare.

It must not have been very effective, the four of them rushing towards her instead of away, brandishing their weapons.

Saphron was no warrior, but that didn't mean she was going to go down without a fight, as she lashed out, kicking, punching, clawing, biting.

Anything that would get them off of her.

The only advantage she had over them was that she had aura and they did not, which meant that while every hit that they dealt her hurt, Saphron was at least doing damage a little more permanently than they were.

The men learned to shy away when Saphron kicked though, and with that advantage taken away from her, Saphron was tossed onto the ground again, having lost the battle of attrition.

Still, she remained defiant, kicking out constantly, until two of them grabbed onto her feet.

Tears pricked her eyes as she realized that she was losing.

"It looks like we finally got all that fight outta ya." The tall man seemed to have recovered from the vicious kick, although his voice seemed a little higher than it was before. "Let's see you kick your way out of this one."

The man approached, licking his lips.

Saphron closed her eyes, defeated as she turned her head, letting out a small whimper.

"Help me..."

The man heard the plea, letting out a nasty bark.

"Don't worry love," The man cooed, the tone almost making Saphron throw up. "I'll be real gentle... at first!" The man threw his head back, letting out a harsh laugh, before continuing to fall backwards, collapsing in a heap.

The assailants turned to see what had just happened, and faced Vernal, who had snuck up behind the lot.

The girl looked bored, one of her hands out in front of her as she idly checked her nails.

"I didn't realize that you guys were having a party without me." Vernal turned to look at Saphron's tear-stained face. "You guys should know by now that I get a little... upset when I don't get invited."

Someone finally snapped out of their reverie, charging at the girl.

It wasn't even a fight, as Vernal's face flashed from calm to absolutely murderous, punching the man in the throat as she strode past the knife that the man was waving at her, side stepping him as he collapsed, and grabbing the weapon that she hadn't already buried into the back of the tall man.

The others reacted almost in slow motion compared to Vernal, who leveled the weapon at the woman, blasting her apart with the double barrel shotgun, before taking a step back, letting the bandit's sword hit air, before returning the movement, so fast that Saphron missed it when she blinked, only seeing the head as it sailed through the air. The other man had taken off at this point, not even bothering to stay in the losing battle.

It didn't seem like Vernal was in a forgiving mood though, as the chakram slammed into him, causing him to lose his footing and land on the ground, unmoving.

Returning her attention on the one who was kneeling, she punched him in the throat again, before grabbing the chakram that she had used to kill the first man.

There was no pity in her eyes as she approached the wheezing man, who had resorted to sliding on the ground away from the monster.

"Please," He managed to croak out, before Vernal grabbed him by his hair, pulling him up forcibly. Meeting her eyes, the man burst into ragged sobs.

"No."

The blades of the chakram slammed into him as she let go of the man, before pulling away, and slamming again, and again, and again into the man. She didn't stop even after the man stopped twitching, only pausing when Saphron let out a small noise.

With Vernal facing away from her, Saphron wasn't able to see the expression on the other girl's face. She wasn't sure she wanted to.

Standing up abruptly, Vernal walked towards the man that had her other weapon, taking care not to look at Saphron as she yanked it out of him.

Inspecting both of the blades to make sure they were in good condition, Vernal turned away from Saphron, throwing away the spent shells and reloading the weapons, her movement fast as she intended to disappear into the forest of tents.

"Wait!"

Vernal could have ignored the cry, but by the time the thought of ignoring Saphron had went through her head, Vernal had stopped.

Saphron on the other hand, took the moment as an opportunity, standing up shakily.

"Thank you for saving me."

Vernal snorted, tossing her head.

"I didn't do it for you." Vernal cut the apology away rudely, waving a hand. "Raven would be pissed if something happened to you."

Saphron stood there for a second, letting the silence linger a little before continuing.

"It doesn't matter why you did it," Saphron said softly. "Thank you for saving me from... from that."

Vernal looked up at the brief stutter, something dancing behind her guarded expression. It disappeared as she shrugged dismissively.

"How about next time you make sure that doesn't happen again?" Vernal decided it was time to change the topic, having a feeling that Saphron would approach uncomfortable grounds if she kept talking. "I'm not always going to be around to teach these assholes a lesson." She emphasized the sentence with a kick at the beheaded head, sending it flying into the river.

Saphron winced at the rude words, and the head as it flew past her.

"That's kind of hard to do when I have to hang all of this laundry out," Saphron waved at the rows and rows of drying racks. "Unless you want to keep a guard posted on me at all times, I'm going to end up here again."

"Well then tell me the next time you go," Vernal spat out, frustration mounting. "I can't always accidentally stumble into something like this when you need my help."

"What if you're off on a raid?" Saphron shot back, crossing her arms. "I can't just stop doing the sheets, it'll back up the rotation."

Vernal threw her hands up. "And woe betide us if the rotation gets fucked up! Yeah, I'd rather you be raped and killed than _that_ happening!"

Saphron stopped for a second.

"You would?"

Vernal's eyes widened as she caught the mistake, her face falling into a scowl. "Yeah, it's kind of surprise, but I'd rather not have my slave die because of something stupid like that!"

"I'm not your slave." Saphron growled out, crossing her arms.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Vernal let her tone slip mockingly. "the tribe's slave then."

Saphron opened her mouth, ready to fight once more with Vernal, before she closed her eyes, breathing out slowly. She knew that Vernal was poking at her to distract Saphron from her original point, but that wasn't going to happen today.

"That doesn't matter," Saphron shook her head. "What matters is that I need a way of defending myself." Vernal scoffed at the idea.

"You don't need a weapon."

"I think what just happened a few minutes ago proved otherwise." Saphron turned, pointing at the mass of dead bodies. Vernal wavered, before pressing on.

"I'll just make sure something like that doesn't happen again."

Now it was Saphron's turn to scoff.

"Didn't you just say that you wouldn't always be here to do that?"

Vernal grit her teeth, knowing that she was slowly being backed into a wall.

"Enough." Vernal crossed her arms, expression resolute. "You don't need to learn all of that. End of discussion." Saphron threw her arms wide.

"Why not?" Saphron let out an angry breath. "Why are you so against me learning how to fight? I have aura! It's not like you to back down from teaching me a few things!" Saphron get close to the other girl. "There are people out there who want to hurt me, and sooner or later, they're going to realize that once you and Raven are both out on a raid, it's open season to attack me."

"W-we'll take you with us."

The excuse was weak, and they both knew it. Saphron let out a derisive laugh.

"Because the raids are just so peaceful, aren't they?" Saphron shook her head. "No, I'm done with being defenseless. Teach me, or else."

"Or else what?" Vernal asked, incredulous. What could Saphron possibly have against her that she would be able to use as blackmail.

Saphron's expression darkened before she let out a low chuckle, a grin spreading on her face.

"Let's just say I know all about those late night walks that you go out on." Saphron almost let her expression fade into something more victorious as Vernal's face went white. "It would be a shame if that information made its way into Raven's ears, wouldn't it?"

"You wouldn't."

The words were whispered, Vernal for once unsure on whether or not to call Saphron's bluff. Saphron didn't speak a word, instead taking a step back.

"Try me."

The words spoke of conviction, and even though Vernal was pissed that Saphron had discovered something so intimate of hers, she couldn't help but be impressed at the leveraging that Saphron was using against her.

"Fine." Vernal shook her head, huffing out a breath and turning away. "But don't think I'll go easy on you."

Watching to make sure that Vernal really meant what she was saying, Saphron let a smile break on her face.

"I wouldn't want you to anyways."

The other girl looked at the blonde, pursing her lips before walking towards the bodies, kneeling down and grabbing the pistol with the knife attached onto its handle and throwing it at Saphron, not even giving the blonde a warning as she did so. Saphron caught it clumsily, and if it weren't for her aura, she probably would've cut her hand attempting to catch it.

Spinning around, Vernal pulled out her blades, her eyes flashing fiercely.

"A few tips. One, keep yourself low to the ground. Helps with balance and gives you good leverage. Two, don't die." Vernal smiled, and Saphron had the smallest twinge that maybe it hadn't been a great idea to piss off Vernal right before Saphron gave the girl express permission to beat her black and blue. The chuckle sure as hell didn't help the sinking feeling in Saphron's stomach.

"We'll make a proper bandit out of you yet." Vernal muttered, before charging at the other girl.

###

Unbeknownst to the two girls, Jaune and Raven were locked in battle at the same moment, clashing and falling away, Raven giving no ground as Jaune struggled to wield the longsword clutched in his hands, ducking from a lazy swipe that Raven threw at him.

"Your grip is too tight."

Jaune internalized the words a little too late, steel clashing onto steel once more, hands aching from the strain as he fell on one knee, the power of the strike causing Jaune to lose his footing.

It had been a little more than a year since the first raid that Jaune had participated in, and he was improving by leaps and bounds.

Immediately the day after, Jaune had found himself face to face with Raven, who had actually called on him for once, instead of simply springing out from a portal to attack him.

When he walked into the clearing that day, he found no company, even though there was usually a handful of bandits that liked to watch Jaune get the crap beaten out of him. Instead he found weapons strewn all across the clearing, some of them dug into the floor, and others just laying on the ground. He raised an eyebrow at Raven, who was sitting on the floor in the middle of the clearing, using one of the buried swords as a backrest. Her mask was on the floor beside her.

He stood there uncertainly, one hand on one of the daggers just in case Raven decided to attack without warning.

She turned her head to regard him, spinning her body a few degrees so that it was pointed towards him. Crooking a finger at Jaune, she gave him the signal to attack her.

Letting his doubts slip aside, Jaune attacked, letting Raven show him why she had prepared the field in such a manner.

Shifting to the side, Jaune's blade missed her, sparks flying as it hit the blade she had been resting on. A flash of movement got Jaune to take a step back, her boot flying past him as she stood up, grabbing the sword and slamming it on top of Jaune, the boy falling onto his knees as he pulled out his other dagger. Quickly, Raven disarmed Jaune, and had him scrambling a retreat. Not knowing where his weapons were, Jaune made do with pulling a wood axe out of the ground, fighting that way.

Flexibility was what Raven was trying to ingrain into him, something that Jaune realized pretty early on. Along with it came actual instructions, as Raven started to give lessons. It was a marked change, and something that Jaune had to get accustomed to, the act of listening to instructions and fighting for his own survival something he wasn't used to.

But a few weeks of fighting seemed to bring some sort of satisfaction to Raven, as she sent him on another raid after about a month and a half after the first raid.

The second was just as hard as the first, as Jaune knew that he had thrown his lot in with the Branwen tribe, but still being conflicted about killing.

But it seemed repetition was the killer of all disgust, as Jaune started to learn to lock himself away during the raids, the only thought in his mind survival as he cut down anyone who decided to attack him.

He never started any fights, but Raven seemed happy enough with him getting over his reluctance to cause harm to innocents. After all, if they attack him, they weren't really innocent to begin with, Jaune's mind rationalized.

A handful of raids later, Jaune perfected the art of hiding himself away, much to Saphron's dismay. He tried to hide it from her, but she could still see the pain inside of him when he thought that no one was looking.

Rolling out of the way, Jaune grabbed the closest thing to him, a war hammer that was built for a fully grown adult. Swinging it was out of the question, but he used the handle to block another attack from Raven, before retreating further, grabbing a short sword and attacking, knowing that sometimes, the best way to stop Raven from hurting him was to put her on the defense, even if Raven made it look altogether too easy to defend against his assault.

Hearing a shuffle from behind him, Jaune twisted, watching as an arrow pinged off of Raven's blade, distracting him long enough for the woman to strike him with the bottom of her sword, sending him reeling as he grabbed a shield from off of the ground, bringing it up just in time to hear the metal ping as an arrow ricocheted off of it.

"Don't stop moving." Raven said calmly as she lunged towards him. "To stop moving means death when fighting against more than one person."

It was another challenge that Raven had presented him a month or two ago. Having been more comfortable with fighting Raven, Jaune fell into a rhythm to stem off the titanic enemy, to Raven's disapproval. To be predictable was to lose, she told him, and began to have others from the tribe fight him, sometimes by themselves, sometimes in groups.

Jaune even managed to win sometimes.

Unfortunately, Jaune still hadn't been able to figure out how to fight against Raven and just one more opponent, the unrelenting force that was Raven making it hard for him to keep track of the other person, who usually kept their distance and peppered him with rubber bullets and rounded arrows, leaving more bruises when he left the fight than when he started.

This was another time that Jaune had to admit defeat, wincing as another arrow slammed into his side, Jaune as Raven swayed away from his sword, before slamming the hilt of hers into his temple, knocking him flat onto the ground.

"I give," Jaune croaked out, Raven pausing from the above hand stroke that she was about to swing, turning away instead. Raven had finally trusted him to call off fights when he reached his limits, now that she knew Jaune was intent on improving.

Raising a hand to call off the archer, Raven started to call out Jaune's various mistakes, demanding that he commit the mistakes to memory.

Sitting up and rubbing his temple, Jaune nodded listlessly, trying to drive the headache away.

"Stand up."

Jaune looked up, not realizing that Raven had once again approached him, her mask on her face once more.

He scrambled up onto his feet, knowing that there wasn't any use in disobeying her.

Raven stood there, unmoving for a good moment, before reaching out with one hand, touching Jaune's cheek.

"For it is in strength that we achieve immortality, through this, we become a paragon of power and brawn to rise above the lesser. Vicious in life and emboldened by death, I release your soul, and by my hand, empower thee."

Jaune felt a rush of power as he glowed a brief yellow, gasping as strength seemed to rush into him. Marveling at the new, light feeling, Jaune looked down at his hands, watching as some of the bruising and small cuts disappeared, healing themselves within seconds.

Looking back at Raven, Jaune wanted to ask why. Why she decided to do it, why now of all times.

Instead he faced the impassive mask, which hid everything away from him.

Raven turned towards her tent, waving a hand.

"Get some rest. We're heading to Atlas by the end of the week."

Jaune blinked rapidly in confusion. Atlas?

What did they want in Atlas?


	7. Chapter 7

"Atlas? Why're you guys heading there?"

Saphron rubbed her elbow, having fallen earlier during her fight with Vernal. Said girl shrugged, leaning against a drawer.

"We've been avoiding the fight long enough," Vernal drawled out, idly watching as Saphron bumped her to the side, opening the drawer and shuffling through the clothes. "But we're getting dangerously low on Dust, and our main raids don't really focus on places that store much Dust."

Saphron furrowed her brow, tossing her hair to the side as she picked out an orange top, inspecting it carefully. "So you guys are going to what, raid a mine or something?"

Vernal raised her eyebrow, a mysterious smile appearing on her face.

"Not exactly."

Saphron waited another minute to see if the girl would elaborate, but found silence instead as she pulled out the rest of her clothes, as well as a towel.

"Okay then..." Saphron bit her lip, mind racing as she tried to figure out how dangerous this was going to be for Jaune. Unlike their frequent attacks in Mistral, and semi-regular attacks in Vale, this was the first time since the two siblings had been brought to the tribe that they would attack an Atlas settlement. Striding out of her tent, Saphron headed towards the river, Vernal close on her tail.

"Is there a reason you're being so secretive?" Saphron asked, tossing a glare backwards, silently hoping that Vernal would stop following her. The other girl didn't take the hint, shrugging nonchalantly.

"I'm just being an ass, really. If you want to know, I'm sure some of the other people would tell you. Maybe." Vernal stretched the last word out teasingly, a smirk on her face telling Saphron that it would be harder than Vernal let on to get the information that she was looking for. Saphron shrugged mentally, giving up for now. Raids weren't planned extensively in the Branwen tribe anyways, usually amounting to finding a vulnerable village and sending men their way to ransack it.

Saphron would've thought that there would be more substance when attacking Atlas for something as valuable as Dust, but she could be wrong.

Stopping near the end of the camp and the start of the forest trees, Saphron turned to Vernal, casting a critical eye at her.

"Well, can you at least tell me Jaune's not going to have to do something crazy?"

Vernal laughed at the question.

"No crazier than the stuff that he usually has to do." The girl smirked a little, before it softened by the barest amount. "I promise." The last words were delivered in a quiet whisper, sounding as if Vernal had to drag the words painfully out of herself.

Seeing the sincerity, no matter how brief it was, put some of Saphron's worries to rest, her shoulders dropping a few inches in relief.

"Good," Saphron said, matching Vernal's tone for the word, before raising her voice a little more. "Are you going to leave now?"

Vernal's eyebrow popped upwards, the seriousness of what they were talking about quickly fading away.

"Leave?" Vernal asked, tone mocking. "Why would I do that?"

Saphron gestured vaguely to the trees, eyes narrowed. "So I can have some privacy? You know," she waggled the arm that was carrying her showering supplies, hoping that Vernal would get the message.

"You know what?" The girl tried to ask innocently, the image ruined when Vernal wasn't able to hide the smirk on her face. Saphron scowled, a blush rising to her face as she stared down the other girl.

"I didn't realize you were a pervert as well as a bitch." Saphron spat out, taking a step back. Vernal matched the step, pretending to be offended.

"What?" She gasped, hands gathered at her chest. "Me? A pervert? What're you talking about? I'm just making sure you don't get ambushed by another group of idiots." Vernal pointed her nose into the air, half turning away from Saphron. "I can't believe you would think so low of me. I'm hurt."

Saphron didn't try to hide her flat stare, placing her free hand on her hip.

"Yeah, okay."

Vernal didn't bother replying, letting her wide smile do the answering for her. Saphron's frown deepened as she raced to try and find a good way to get Vernal to leave her in peace.

Saphron was saved from having to resort to more desperate measures when she heard Raven in the distance, calling out Vernal's name. The other girl's head turned so fast it looked like she had given herself whiplash, standing in attention as Raven approached her.

"Gather your things," Raven gestured back towards the camp. "We leave in two hours."

The girl nodded, casting one last glance at Saphron before leaving her with Raven.

There was a shift of relief and apprehension in Saphron, glad that someone managed to get Vernal to leave, but unsure if Raven replacing her would be any better.

Fortunately, it didn't seem like Raven had anything else to say, turning away and heading back into the mass of tents.

Sagging in relief, Saphron headed into the forest, intent on having a nice long dip into the river before saying her goodbyes and well wishes to Jaune.

* * *

Tightening up the sword sheath on Jaune's left side, he inspected himself once again in the mirror.

At thirteen years old, Jaune was still disappointingly short. Muscles were developed from the constant life-or-death fighting against Raven and her cronies, but if he squinted real hard and forgot about the knives and sword strapped onto him, he could almost imagine himself as a normal boy, getting ready for another exciting field trip.

Instead, he was going to be donning on the mask once more, physically and mentally, to break the law and potentially kill people that would come in the way of the Branwen tribe.

He would've been accepted into Signal by now, getting ready for his first day.

Letting out a sigh, Jaune shook his head at the thought. Who was he kidding? Before all of this happened, Jaune hadn't had the capacity to become a Huntsman. His application to Signal probably would've been rejected, a thought that would've devastated the boy when he was younger.

Checking once again to make sure that his daggers were strapped tight onto himself, Jaune shouldered the 'raid bag', as he liked to call it, and turned around, facing a worried Saphron.

The look on her face shot warmth throughout his body. She was the only person in this world that would look so worried because of Jaune, and it made him happy to know that there was at least one person that cared for him.

 _Anything to keep you safe._

Grabbing her hands, Jaune gave her his best reassuring smile.

"I'll be fine," He said, not for the first time, snapping his big sister out of her worried trance. She smiled tiredly at him, bringing the boy into a tight hug. He didn't hesitate to return it, relishing the contact.

"I know," Saphron whispered, placing a kiss on top of his head before pulling him out for her own inspection. "I just worry, you know? Things happen in these raids, and this is the first time that you'll be going to Atlas." Saphron bit her lip. "That's the furthest away Raven's ever sent you."

Jaune nodded in agreement, but was quick to mention how it wouldn't be any different than when they cross over to Sanus to raid Valean villages. Saphron nodded slowly, although her brow was still creased.

"Mantle's a little further away than Sanus though," Saphron warned, wagging a finger at him. "You're going to need to be vigilant, alright? If you guys get attacked by Grimm while you guys are on the ocean, it's going to be a lot harder to recover than if you guys were on land."

Jaune rolled his eyes as Saphron went into lecturing mode, humming and nodding yeses for everything that she said. Once again he was wrapped into a tight hug.

"Be safe, okay?"

Jaune buried his head into her shoulder, muffling an affirmative.

The two of them stayed together for a good minute before separating, teary smiles on both their faces.

"Oh, before I forget," Saphron stood up and procured a small box. "I wanted to give you this."

Handing it to Jaune, Saphron smiled softly as he unwrapped the present, the awe clear on his face as he pulled out a simple watch, already fixed to the right time.

"What's this for?" Jaune breathed out, inspecting it carefully. His sister shrugged, trying to play it off as nothing important.

"Oh, you're just late to everything all the time, so I thought that a watch would help you with that. Or at least, take away the excuses when you _do_ arrive late." Saphron said teasingly, watching in delight as Jaune put the watch on his wrist, grinning in excitement.

"Thanks Saph," Jaune beamed, glad to have it. "I'll make sure not to be so late all the time now." Saphron raised an eyebrow.

"Uh huh." The doubt in her voice was obvious. Glancing at the watch, Saphron's heart slowly sank, noticing the time. "Well, if you don't head out now, you're going to be late." The words were reluctant, but she knew Raven expected no tardiness for something as important as a raid. Jaune looked at the watch, noting the time as well. Sadness flickered across his face before he nodded, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, Jaune, her precious little brother was gone.

"Go get 'em." Saphron cheered weakly, getting a single nod from the boy as he collected his white raiding mask, heading out of the tent.

Alone, Saphron clasped her hands to her chest, whispering a prayer to anyone that would listen that they would bring Jaune safely back to her.

###

Jaune ducked underneath a low hanging branch, jogging slightly to keep up with the pace that Raven was setting.

They arriving to the destination that Raven had pointed out to them on the map. Once they arrived, they would board two 'borrowed' airships, where a four bandits trained to pilot the ships would take them to Mantle, and their target.

When the trees cleared, Jaune looked around, expecting to find an airstrip of some sorts, instead finding a meadow, with two medium sized airships sitting in the middle.

Jaune stood there, gaping as the four bandits assigned to pilot the ships strode past him, opening up the doors and bustling in, powering the ships on slowly.

"Close your mouth, boy."

Jaune glanced at Raven, whose eyes slowly catalogued the ships, a small light of satisfaction gleaming in them.

"How'd you manage to steal two airships?" Jaune asked, surprise still evident. Raven glanced down at the boy.

"We're bandits, kid. Stealing's what we do."

She didn't answer any more questions, gesturing for Jaune to board the first ship before she climbed into it, the last one to board before nodding to the pilots, who closed the doors and started the takeoff sequence pulling into the air.

The movement jolted Jaune's stomach momentarily, his eyes widening as he suddenly remembered all of the precarious trips that he had made by airship in the past, when him and his family went anywhere out on vacation.

"Oh gods," Jaune leaned over, face slightly green, before Raven grabbed him by the shoulders, looking into his eyes intently.

"If you throw up, I'm going to make you clean it up yourself," She snarled, jerking him harshly. "And we don't have a mop lying around, so you'll need to be creative about it when you do."

Jaune nodded weakly, closing his eyes to try and concentrate away the rolling sensation in his stomach.

That didn't seem to work either, as the rolling and pitching of the airship seemed to be even more pronounced when Jaune closed his eyes.

A hand touched his shoulder, Vernal revealing herself from behind him. Leaning over to whisper into his ear, Vernal told him to concentrate on his newly unlocked Aura. The whispering was constant, something for Jaune to latch onto as he reached for his Aura, which flared up and wrapped around his body, his stomach settling down slowly, but surely.

Jaune groaned in appreciation as the last vestiges of his motion sickness dissipated, the old enemy throwing in the towel as his Aura wrestled it away into nothingness. Turning to thank Vernal, he found her standing on the opposite side of the ship, face pointedly looking outside into the distance.

It took several hours to get to Mantle, boredom quickly settling into the bandits, who broke into groups and started to find ways to entertain themselves. The group that Raven had rounded up was smaller than usual, only about thirty bandits rather than the fifty to eighty that usually came on one of these raids.

Raven, as usual, didn't speak, watching the endless sea as the airships glided towards their destination.

"Land ho!" One of the bandits yelled out another hour later, the whispering reaching an all time high as they gathered near the windows, seeing the first outcroppings of Mantle.

Apprehension gathered in the air, as they all started to get prepared for the upcoming raid.

It was only another half hour before Raven stood up, yelling at the group of bandits to get ready, the airships making a sharp turn as they landed on a small plateau, opening the doors for them to get out.

Waiting for everyone to finish stretching their legs, Raven crossed her arms.

"Alright people. We march off to the northwest, where we'll find a dirt intersection. We'll set up there, and wait for the trucks to arrive."

Trucks? Jaune glanced around at the rest of the bandits, noting that none of them seemed to be as confused as he was. Shrugging to himself, he followed Raven as she hopped off of the plateau, sliding into the wash of evergreen trees.

Sanus, Anima, Mantle, it didn't matter where they headed, Jaune noticed, they always seemed to end up marching through a forest of some sort.

Arriving at the intersection with no trouble, the bandits spread out, finding their own cover as they covered the road, which was bigger than Jaune would've thought for a simple dirt road. Idle chatter began to die down as the scouts that had been sent out returned, whispering that the convoy was going to be headed towards them at any moment.

Nodding at one of the scouts, Raven donned her mask on, Jaune following and doing the same.

When the trucks appeared over the horizon, Jaune's heart stopped a little. This was going to be a lot different than the time the bandits attacked Jaune and Saphron.

The convoy was a total of five enormous trucks, each one ladled to the brim with Dust of all sorts, cut and uncut. Along with the trucks were soldiers, marching at a slow pace, all armed to the teeth, all of them alert.

There was a veritable army guarding these trucks, and Raven only decided to bring thirty bandits? Jaune glanced at the masked Raven, wondering if she really thought this one through.

Holding out a fist, Raven made sure the bandits knew to prepare themselves, all of them stiffening up slightly in preparation to attack the convoy. Judging from the looks on their faces, Jaune guessed that they saw the numbers and were preparing for a hard fight.

Seconds ticked by as the convoy approached with slow inevitability. Sweat started to form on Jaune's back, nervous at the thought of having to take down so many guards.

"ATTACK!"

Jaune nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard the command. But still, he didn't move, his mind reeling as it tried to process the command. Raven never screamed out for her bandits to attack. It ruined the element of surprise too early, which was a valued commodity for bandits. What's more, the voice didn't sound anything like Raven, but there was no way that any of the Branwen tribe would've preemptively done something like that. Raven would've personally beheaded anyone who thought that shouting out a surprise attack was a good idea. But the craziest thing was...

The voice had come from behind the convoy, even though the first of the convoys hadn't even reached their position in the intersection yet.

"Who the hell—" Raven growled out, before an explosion rocked out from behind the last truck, flipping onto its front end, men and women streaming out of a several vehicles that had almost appeared out of nowhere. All of them charged forwards, all of them brandishing some sort of weapon, all of them wearing plain white masks.

All of them faunus.

"FOR THE WHITE FANG!"

Thousands of miles away, Saphron felt the pit in her stomach coil up again.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm not very good at replying to reviews am I? Sorry about that, I barely get the time to bang these chapters out, but I'll try to be more on top of the reviews from now on. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Raven held up her fist, stopping the rest of the clan from advancing. She wanted to wait this one out, something that Jaune wholeheartedly agree to. It would probably be easier to steal the Dust from the White Fang than the trained soldiers, especially after they wore themselves out.

Jaune lowered himself back down, forcing himself to relax as he watched the scene unfold.

The battle, if he could've even called it that, ended quickly, to the point that Jaune counted it in seconds instead of minutes.

Gunfire rang out from behind the White Fang's vehicles, several soldiers flailing in panic, either injured, dead, or spooked by the time the guns stopped shooting. In a handful of seconds, more than half of the Atlesian soldiers were on the floor, the others still scrambling for their weapons when someone stepped out from behind the wall of White Fang.

The man was masked similarly as the other members of the Fang, but instead of the white jackets that the others wore, he wore a black ensemble, a red rose etched on the back of his jacket. Clipped onto his side was a katana, the sheath a dull black that matched the rest of what he was wearing. Nodding once to the faunus now situated behind him, he turned his attention back onto the soldiers, unfazed at the mass of weapons pointed directly at him.

"Soldiers of Atlas," The man started speaking, his voice surprisingly young. "Put down your weapons, and you won't be harmed." Jaune could see the man thumb the blade strapped on his side. "This is your only warning."

One brave soldier didn't like those options, snarling as he squeezed the trigger of his gun, loosing a few shots towards what Jaune was assuming to be the leader of the rag tag group of White Fang.

Fast, almost faster than Jaune could see, the man's blade seemed to fly out of its scabbard, the sound of metal on metal pinging through the trees as the red-haired man deflected the bullets with contemptuous ease.

Emboldened by the action, another man raised his weapon as well, aiming it towards the man. From where Jaune was sitting, he saw what the soldiers couldn't.

Another figure emerged from atop of the Dust trucks, a shadow leaping into the air, the soldiers only noticing it when it landed on the man that was about to fire, a rectangular piece slamming onto the soldier's exposed neck, knocking him out cold. The others shifted in surprise, giving the shadow enough time to move out of the group, landing a few feet away, forcing the soldiers to turn their attention away from the man.

Standing up, Jaune was able to see the shadow clearly for the first time, his eyes widening as he saw a girl that couldn't have been much older than he was standing in the shadow's place. There was a White Fang mask that covered the upper part of her face, and a pair of animal ears on top of her head. Jaune squinted a little bit, sure that they were a pair of cat ears, but wasn't a hundred percent sure with how far away he was from the girl.

A hand grabbed onto his neck, pulling him backwards.

"What do you think you're doing?" The words were delivered so quietly, Jaune wouldn't have even called it a whisper. Still, Raven was able to inflect enough anger to make Jaune realize that he had been on his hands and knees, only a few inches away from breaking the cover that the bushes provided them. "Do you have a death wish?"

Jaune wasn't sure if she was asking him or threatening him, so he wisely kept his mouth shut, focusing back on the scene, mentally reminding himself not to move.

"Please put down your weapons," The girl's voice was low, Jaune probably guessing that she was a year or two older than him, with how mature she sounded. "We only want the Dust. We mean you no harm."

A soldier scoffed at the girl. "Is that why you guys opened fire at us?" He gestured at one of the fallen bodies. "If that's what you mean by no harm, I'm gonna take my chances."

The girl's ears, her faunus ones, flattened against her head, the action reminding Jaune of his household's cat, Scruffy, who always seemed to find a reason to hiss at Jaune when he came close.

"We didn't have a choice," The girl spoke quietly, head turned away for a second. "If we had just appeared out of nowhere and asked you to lay down your guns, you guys would've just started shooting." She shook her head. "This was the best way to minimize the bloodshed."

The same soldier sneered at her words. "Only human blood needs to be spilled right?" The man spit on the road, a frown marring his face. "I guess that makes sense. Wouldn't want any animal blood on the road after all. Might kill the grass." The man barked out a laugh, the last thing he ever did, before falling into a boneless heap on the ground, the wound on his back gushing blood.

The soldiers beside him couldn't even react as the leader of the White Fang seemed to have snuck up on them, sword flashing in the moonlight as it fell onto the ranks of soldiers.

It was a massacre, Jaune watching as the katana took a life with it every time it fell. The soldiers didn't even scuff the man's pants as they fell dead.

Jaune couldn't help but remember when he had turned one of his games to very easy, and walked through the game without putting any real effort into it. The man looked about as bored as Jaune had been that day.

"Adam!"

The name stopped the man mid-stroke, two or three seconds having passed since he cut down the first man. He turned to look at the cat faunus, whose mouth was pressed into a thin line. Unspoken words passed between them before the man, Adam, Jaune guessed, put away his blade.

There were only three soldiers left standing, and it had only been two minutes at the most since the White Fang fired their first shots.

"Tie these scum up," Adam said, two of the White Fang hurrying to follow orders. Gesturing at another two, the faunus leader motioned for them to open up the driver doors of the trucks, the bodies falling lifelessly out of the seats as they clambered in.

Jaune felt movement beside him, a bird flapping above him a second later. Turning his head slowly, he found Raven gone, vanished completely from sight. Jaune looked at the rest of the bandits close by, all of them too engrossed by the scene ahead of them to have noticed the disappearance.

"Alright people! It's time to move!" The group moved quickly, the majority of them jumping back into the vehicles that they had driven to get here, others grabbing onto the sides of the Dust trucks, hanging off of them loosely.

"Blake! It's time to go." Adam said, snapping the cat faunus out of her train of thought. She tore her eyes away from the bodies that littered the ground as she nodded, walking towards him, stiffening up as a wicked blade appeared out of nowhere, resting on her throat.

Adam fell into a crouch, hand touching his katana before freezing, the Raven's blade pressing down on Blake's jugular, the woman stepping out from behind one of the Dust trucks.

"Who are you?" The girl must not understand what position she was in, demanding answers from Raven like that, Jaune thought to himself.

"Does it really matter who I am, girl?" Raven whispered into her ear, still loud enough for Adam to hear. By now, the rest of the White Fang was starting to realize that there was something wrong. Raven had placed herself perfectly in between two of the trucks though, none of the faunus able to take a clear shot at her without the risk of shooting Blake as well.

"No, I didn't think so." Raven answered her own question, her voice still disturbingly conversational. "Besides, that's not really the question that I want to answer anyways."

Adam growled in anger, his hand tightening on the grip of his katana.

"What do you want?" He asked, his voice dropping low in anger. The question seemed to amuse Raven, who gave off a chuckle.

"Now that _is_ a question that I'd like to answer." Raven shrugged her right shoulder. "I want the trucks, and all of the Dust in them. Give me that, and I'll leave you all unharmed. Don't and..." She didn't finish the sentence, letting her sword do that for her.

Adam tilted his head, the frown on his face only growing deeper.

"What makes you think we would give you this without a fight?"

Raven matched his head movement, the action mocking. "You would risk her life?"

Adam paused just long enough for Raven to know that she was on the right track. Blake answered for him.

"Kill me, and you'll have all of the White Fang to avenge me." Blake tilted her head up. "You aren't so safe without a hostage to keep us off of you."

Raven rolled her eyes from under her mask, muttering something disparaging about fanatics.

"I think I'll take my chances." Raven replied, turning her attention back on Adam. "What do you say, Adam? Care to make a bet with her life? I'm going to give you a hint," Raven leaned forwards, her tone taunting, "it won't end well for you."

Adam let go of his katana, smirking as a thought passed him. "You won't do it."

Raven raised a hidden eyebrow. "And why's that?"

Adam turned and spread his arms out. "Because you're surrounded." Raven turned to find a blade touching her back, a girl revealing herself as she changed her color back to her normal pigment. Along with her was another half a dozen or so of the White Fang, who had been creeping around to the front of the trucks the entire time the two had been talking, closing the circle of faunus and surrounding Raven.

"Now, let me give you a counter offer," Adam said slowly, taking a step forwards. "You'll let go of the girl, and you'll die painlessly." Adam's scabbard clicked as he pulled the blade out an inch. "Or you can die screaming." He took another step. "Either way, you've lost this one, bandit."

Raven watched him take another step, before she pulled the blade away from Blake's throat, letting the girl go.

Adam sneered at the woman, realizing that without her hostage, she was finally showing her true colors.

The woman was a coward.

Before he could take another step though, Raven let out a piercing whistle, some of the faunus wincing at the sharp sound.

Stunning by the sound, and unsure of what to make of it, the White Fang paused for a second, giving Raven's crew just enough time to emerge from the bushes, treating them to an strange reversal of fortunes as the bandits fired into the group, which had conveniently clumped together to surround Raven.

Screams tore from the crowd, the bandits much more used to firing accurately into a group of people. This was their job, after all, and with the sheer amount of surprise that Raven had managed to create, they were in their prime element.

The White Fang outnumbered the bandits almost two to one, but with such an effective ambush, the numbers started to wilt in seconds. It didn't help that Raven had unleashed her own brand of chaotic death, the White Fang shielding her from the bandits' fire.

Jaune, being the only one who didn't have a ranged weapon, simply stood up and waited for the bullets and arrows to stop raining on the faunus, drawing out the short sword on his hip. Once the bandits emptied their magazines and quivers, they stowed the guns and bows away, drawing out wicked blades and charging into the dazed and weakened White Fang, unleashing a closer, more personal carnage.

"Gather yourselves together!" Adam shouted at the faunus, cutting down one of the bandits that tried to charge at him. "Faunus, together!" He continued to yell orders until enough of the White Fang had gathered themselves, pushing back against the bandits. It was only when Raven crossed blades with Adam that he finally stopped giving orders, concentrating on preserving his own life.

Jaune joined the masses quietly, unlike the rest of the bandits. Being much smaller than most of the people fighting, he moved virtually unnoticed, blade flickering out every once in a while to leave shallow wounds, meant to distract someone long enough for them to make a fatal mistake.

He spotted movement out of the corner of his eye, turning just in time to spot Blake appear out of the shadows, a blade in her hands as she tried to strike Raven while her back was turned towards her.

Raven was better than that though, moving quickly and skipping to the side, forcing Blake to balance herself as her blade met air, Adam grunting in panic as he twisted his blade to the side, the katana narrowly missing Blake.

Jaune didn't see much more, the bandit and faunus bodies closing the fight away from his view. One of the faunus finally noticed the small boy, whipping his gun around to fire but found another opponent, the curved blades of an exotic looking weapon tearing through him, the fighter pulling away and disappearing back into the crowd. Jaune didn't have much more time to look around, finding his own personal fight with a smaller White Fang member wielding two curved blades, the swords flashing as they tried to make their way towards Jaune.

After a few more minutes of intense struggle from both sides, an unseen force seemed to rip the two factions apart, bandits and faunus falling away from each other as they fought for breath, watching each other carefully. Raven stood in front of her bandits, her sword out in front of her. On the opposite side, Adam and Blake stood, both of their weapons drawn as well.

"Does there really need to be any more bloodshed?" Raven asked, lifting her other hand. "Surely we can come across to an agreement. Say, we take two trucks, and you can have the last one?"

Adam exhaled, his glare strong enough to receive even through the mask. "We don't negotiate with bandits."

"Funny," Raven drawled, lowering her free hand. "I was going to say the same thing about terrorists."

The two took a step forward, before spotlights hit both groups, the sheer brightness hitting all of them like a physical force, many of them falling to their knees or staggering backwards a few steps.

"WHITE FANG AND BRANWEN TRIBE, DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND STAND DOWN." The ringing megaphone added another stunning blow to the groups, further disorienting them. "WE WILL NOT ASK AGAIN, AND WE HAVE BEEN AUTHORIZED TO USE DEADLY FORCE."

"This day just goes from bad to worse, doesn't it?" Vernal muttered, shielding her eyes as she knelt beside Jaune.

"THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING, STAND—"

An explosion ripped through whatever the last words the soldier was going to say, the Bullhead careening to the side as it was struck with a lightning bolt, dark clouds having appeared out of nowhere, forming above their heads.

Everything froze for a precious second, all of them trying to comprehend what had just happened, before a lightning strike slammed into another Bullhead, having it follow its friend towards the ground.

"This is getting crazy," Adam muttered, before turning his attention on the surviving White Fang members. "It's time to pull out of this while we're still breathing! Let's go!" Abandoning the Dust trucks, the remaining faunus piled into the trucks that they had arrived with, sending dust up and they started to leave, before another lightning strike hit one of the trucks, the explosion magnificent, scattering faunus everywhere. Some scrambled back on their feet as they hit the ground while others lay there unmoving.

At the same time, more and more Bullheads pulled into the sky, seemingly undeterred by the vengeful weather as they started to open fire on both groups.

Jaune dove out of the way, finding shelter in between the Dust trucks, knowing that the Bullheads wouldn't be crazy enough to blow up the Dust. Trying to find Raven and see if she had signaled the retreat, Jaune gaped as he found her standing stock still, head lowered a little, completely unmoving.

"What is she doing?" Jaune whispered to himself. The back of his neck tingled for a second and Jaune turned, his instincts screaming at him as he pulled his sword up, finding Blake standing there, her weapon pointed at him.

"You can't seriously be trying to fight with all of this going on right now." Jaune said, the disbelief clear in his tone. Blake hesitated for a second, taking a step backwards.

"You're not going to fight me?" She asked quietly, eyes still watching him carefully. Jaune blinked rapidly at the question.

"Are you serious? Why would I be trying to make this any more confusing than it has it be?" Jaune waved his hand, wondering who would be so lost in battle rage that they would continue to fight with everything happening at the moment.

Blake lowered her sword slowly, ears twitching cautiously as she did so.

"I guess you're right..."

Jaune shook his head, looking back at Raven, who still hadn't moved. Part of him was wondering and hoping that she had died of shock, releasing him from this life of slavery. The more rational part of him was hoping that she hadn't died, mostly because Jaune wasn't sure how to get back on the continent of Anima.

"Tell you what," Jaune turned back to Blake. "How about you get out of here, and we pretend this never happened?"

Now it was Blake's turn to look surprised. She went quiet, which didn't change the fact that the gunfire above them was deafening, as well as the lightening that seemed to coincidentally always hit one of the Bullheads. There was also a lot of screaming around them as well, from both faunus and bandits.

"You're nothing like what I thought a bandit would be like." Blake said quietly, almost to herself. Jaune wasn't sure if he heard her right, but shrugged.

"You're nothing like what I thought a terrorist would be like," Jaune shot back.

Before they could trade any more witty blows, three things happened at almost exactly the same time.

First, Raven cried out, falling onto her knees.

Second, the hair on Jaune's neck rose up, as well as his hair, and Blake's hair.

Third, Jaune's vision went stark white as lightening hit the truck he was next to, two thunderous booms deafening him.

Then, everything went black.


	9. Chapter 9

Jaune woke up to the sound of ringing.

A groan escaped him as he tried to blink—only to find that his eyelids refused to open up. Slowly, sluggishly, Jaune lifted his hand up to rub his temples, trying to coax one of his five senses to start working. Raven would be so disappointed in how slowly Jaune was rising to consciousness.

What happened last night anyways, Jaune wondered, for him to be so out of it this morning? Like the rest of his body, his memories were slow to respond, as if someone was still trying to load the next reel into the movie projector. He could remember feeling nauseous... probably something to do with the airship that he was on. Why was he on an airship again? Raven wanted something... something to do with Atlas, and Dust, and...

Jaune's eyes finally snapped open, his brain finally firing on all cylinders, even if everything he saw was just blurry shapes that the moment. The second sense to kick in after sight was smell, and Jaune could smell the acrid smell of blasted Dust, as if he had just been in one of the live fire exercises that Raven would hold for the tribe every few months.

He had been in the middle of an explosion.

Jaune could remember it now, remember locking eyes with one of the White Fang members before something or someone must've hit the exposed Dust in one of the trucks.

Eyesight finally clearing up, Jaune lifted himself slowly off of the ground, another groan leaving him as everything started to pulse horribly, head spinning. Closing his eyes again, Jaune found Almost all of his Aura to be completely drained. Not surprising, seeing as how he had just tanked one of the worst explosions he'd ever had the misfortune of being in the middle of.

Jaune supposed that he was lucky enough to be alive, although he was starting to get really annoyed with the ringing in his ears. As long as his ears were ringing, there was no way Jaune was going to be able to hear anything, a disadvantage that Jaune wasn't sure he wanted to have while in the middle of hostile territory.

Reluctantly, Jaune concentrated on the last dregs of his Aura, trying to get the meager amounts to pool around his head area, helping with the healing process. Luckily that managed to do something, the pounding in his head subsiding, along with the noise drowning ring in his ear. It didn't go away completely, but Jaune decided that having just a tiny bit of Aura to tank a shot or two would be worth more than getting the last bit of tinnitus out of his ears. He had healed enough to be able to hear most of his surroundings, and after he got some rest and recovered some more of his Aura, he would finish healing the rest of his injuries.

For now, Jaune stood up, clenching his teeth as he refused to let out another pitiful whine. Staying in one place would be a death sentence, especially without knowing where he was, or if anyone else was close by. Scanning the dense trees, he tried to find the road that the trucks had been on, pretty confident that while the explosion was powerful, it couldn't have knocked him too far away. Patting himself down, Jaune found that he was only missing his sword and his mask, which was better than losing everything.

Moving slowly, Jaune found the road, or what was left of it.

Where the three trucks had been, there were enormous craters, stretching several dozen feet across. Metal was strewn haphazardly everywhere. Whatever trees and shrubbery had been alongside the road when Jaune and Raven had prepared their ambush was knocked clean, several tree trunks scorched, Jaune's nose twitching as he smelled the greenery blackening and burning. He tried to ignore the humanoid shapes littering the ground, too black and crispy for Jaune to identify them anyways.

Besides, it wasn't like Raven or Vernal would've died from something like this. After all, he made it out alive.

Chewing on his lower lip, Jaune continued to scan around, trying to figure out where Raven or Vernal could've headed, and trying to remember where exactly the clearing that the tribe had used as a landing zone.

Well, on the bright side, at least Jaune could've considered this a successful escape from the Branwen tribe.

On the other hand, Saphron was still waiting for him, and he didn't even want to imagine how she would react to Raven and Vernal coming back without him.

"I have to get back somehow," Jaune murmured to himself.

Finally it seemed like luck decided to give him a small break, as voices started to float through the forest, towards the other side of the wreckage. Even if it was the White Fang, it would be something of a start, Jaune decided. Besides, he was pretty confident that he could stay far away enough to not alert anyone. Most of them should be injured and focused on their own wounds, which should give him more of a chance, Jaune thought to himself, one last push before moving towards the sounds, taking as much care as he could in not making any noise.

"She's not so tough now, is she?" One of the voices called out, making Jaune freeze instantly, hoping that he hadn't been spotted.

"Hah, yeah, she doesn't look threatening at all now that she doesn't have the other faunus to back her up." Another voice floated through, allowing Jaune to relax now that he knew that they hadn't spotted him. Creeping another few feet, Jaune peered past a tree trunk, revealing two scuffed up Atlas soldiers looming over the black haired girl that Jaune had encountered a few seconds before Remnant turned upside down.

She didn't look so good, eyes narrowed into slits, her teeth bared at the two of them as she sat there in front of them. Her mask was missing, revealing golden eyes that shot back and forth between the two soldiers, trying to keep them both in her field of view. It looked like she was nursing her right arm, which was mottled with cuts and bruises, hanging in a way that made Jaune think that she—Blake was her name, Jaune thought, remembering—was either sporting a dislocation or a broken bone of some sort.

"Man, today's just been a total fuck-up, hasn't it?" The soldier on the right said, shaking his head. He didn't have a helmet on, his short brown buzz cut revealed to the world. "First we're told to act as bait the White Fang, but no one tells us when they're going to attack, so we end up being surprised anyways, then bandits appear out of nowhere and try and fuck us to," the soldier pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a noisy breath. "And then to top it off, a rookie must've been flying one of the Bullheads, 'cause he almost blew us all to the fucking moon!" The man half shouted, raising both of his arms.

The other soldier glanced over at the irate man, raising an eyebrow, or what should've been one, if not for the fact that it looked as if it had been completely sheared off by the explosion.

"I don't think a gunshot would've set off the Dust in that truck," the soldier with the burnt off eyebrow whispered, his voice very hoarse.

The talkative one didn't seem to notice, casting another glance at Blake.

"Hm. You know what would cheer me up though?" The man's face split into a nasty smile, Blake's ears flattening in response.

"You do realize she can't be any older than fifteen, right?"

The brown-haired man's nose scrunched up, looking at the other soldier. "What? Ew, what the fuck? No, I'm not some fucking pedo, Bones. What about me gave off _that_ kind of vibe?" The other man didn't miss a beat.

"Your creeper smile."

"My—what? Now I'm just offended." The man shook his head, more in disappointment that one of his own would think so lowly of him than being accused of being a pedophile.

"Then what are you suggesting?" The other man gave in, knowing that the Rattle could go on for hours if no one interrupted him.

Interrupting him mid breath, Rattle closed his mouth slowly, a scowl forming on his face. Bones didn't back down, simply matching the stare steadily, waiting the Rattle to back down like he always did.

Rattle clicked his teeth in annoyance, giving in and pulling out his gun. "Whatever," he muttered before turning his attention to Blake, who had been trying to scoot away from them while they were talking. "I was talking about getting rid of one of these terrorist scum forever." He pointed the gun with one hand, Blake tensing up as the barrel zoned in on her. "One less thing for Atlas to worry about, eh?"

Jaune watched this all play out as he tried to figure out what he needed to do. On one hand, he could leave right now, knowing that the girl was as good as dead if he did so. But it would save him precious seconds so that he could try and find a way back to Mistral. It was the logical choice to do, what with his Aura so low. On the other hand though...

Jaune sighed, shaking his head. Saphron wouldn't have hesitated. There would've only been one option in her mind if she was here watching this happen.

A gunshot rang out, Jaune's heart sinking as he saw the bullet hit dead center, knowing that he had taken too long to decide. Except for the fact that she was still alive, wait what?

Jaune rubbed his eyes, making sure that he wasn't seeing things. No, he definitely wasn't. The girl almost seemed to teleport right as the man squeezed the trigger, leaving behind an afterimage to take the blow, leaving her unharmed. Well, no more harmed than she was before the gunshot.

The movement surprised the soldiers too, causing the loud one to take a step back in surprise. The other one jerked back, hand falling towards his hip.

Jaune wouldn't have another chance at this, springing out of the bushes, boots propelling him towards the two soldiers. He drew out one of his knives, having lost his sword in the explosion, and plunged it into Rattle's neck right as the man turned around, the noise of the boots alerting him too late. Blood gushed out of an artery, but Jaune was used to the spray, dodging it deftly as he let go of the knife, not wanting to waste any time trying to pry it out of the dead man's throat.

Drawing out his other knife, Jaune dove to the left as Bones let off a couple of shots, one of them pinging off of Jaune's knife.

 _When fighting multiple enemies, never stop moving. Momentum is your friend._

Raven's words echoed through his mind as Jaune rolled unexpectedly, causing Bones to miss another shot, unable to compensate for the random movements.

Unfortunately, another step took Jaune into the range where even the untalented could land a bullet in a target, and Bones let off another shot, aimed at the heart.

The crack of the gun was loud, but for Jaune, the bullet smacking against his ribs sounded louder, the last of his Aura preventing the shot from killing him, turning the death shot into a small stumble as Jaune lost his footing, but continued to move forward, knowing that another shot would end the fight.

Bones didn't, or couldn't, let loose another shot though, stowing the gun away and swinging wide, aiming a fist at Jaune's temple. It was a sloppy attempt, a default action of someone who hadn't practiced hand-to-hand long enough to attack effectively on instinct.

Jaune on the other hand, had years of practice against something like this.

Stopping just short of the swing, Jaune felt the wind of the fist as it passed him, before he continued on his path, slapping away the other hand as Bones desperately tried to compensate for being off balance. Stumbling back, Bones threw up both of his arms, protecting his jugular after seeing Jaune take out Rattle so effectively with a knife like that one.

It was a shame, because that was the easiest and quickest way to bring someone down with a knife.

Fortunately, Jaune hadn't spent years fighting against Raven and the tribe just to have one way of putting down a man.

Raising his arms meant the rest of his body was vulnerable, something Jaune pointed out by jabbing the knife into Bone's stomach, the man letting out a breath of pain that quickly turning into a scream. Pulling out the knife, Jaune stuck the blade into Bone's chest, right between the ribs as he punctured the man's lungs, leaving him drowning in his own blood.

Falling onto his knees, Bones tried to do... something, as he felt his life quickly slipping away. Jaune knew how horrible it was to die that way, having seen it happen to many innocents. Stepping neatly behind the soldier, Jaune severed Bone's spinal cord, a mercy kill in Jaune's book.

Jaune relaxed, glad that the fight was over. Death never sat easy on him, especially when he had to act so brutally to put down someone as quickly as possible. It was getting easier every time he did it, but...

He wasn't sure that was something he should be celebrating.

Turning to face Blake, Jaune found himself at the recipient of a gun barrel, a loud crack echoing through the forest as something hot passed through his shoulder.

Dropping onto his knees, Jaune gripped his shoulder, pain slowly registering and fading away as his adrenaline surged for the second time in less than a minute.

"You shot me!" Jaune shouted, gritting his teeth as he covered the wound with his hand. "Why did you do that?!"

Blake scooted backwards, hand shaking as she continued to point the gun at Jaune.

"Stay away from me." She snarled, half-shouting the words. Jaune looked at her in disbelief.

"Wh- I just saved your life, and this is the thanks I get?" Jaune asked, more to himself than to her. "Raven was right," Jaune mumbled reluctantly. Blake continued to aim him down.

Letting out a sigh, Jaune raised his hands. "Look, I don't want a fight, alright? You've got me on the ropes here. I'm just making sure that you're alright, alright? If you're good, I'll just go on my way , okay?"

Blake didn't react to the words, eyes still narrowed dangerously.

"Stay. Away." She repeated.

"I haven't moved."

"D-don't come any closer."

"I- what?" Jaune shook his head. "What're you talking about? I haven't moved at all."

"Stay back!"

"Alright!" Jaune took a step back. "I'm not sure I did anything that would make you so jittery, but fine, I'll stay back." He took another step back, just in case. "Happy?"

Blake narrowed her eyes even further, almost as if she was squinting.

Because she was. She was squinting.

Jaune closed his eyes, berating himself quietly at how it took so long for him to realize that Blake had just been in the same explosion that he was in. And judging from her arm, she didn't have any Aura to heal her ears, or stabilize her shaky vision.

Making another decision, Jaune plopped himself on the ground, crossing his legs. Blake jerked the gun downwards, to try and follow his movement, the barrel dipping a little lower than center mass.

"This girl is going to get me killed." Jaune whispered to himself. Still, he didn't leave, even with the looming threat of someone else finding the two of them.

Saphron would've done the same thing.

The cat faunus was very disciplined, Jaune found out, as she never put the gun down, even though her hand shook badly enough that it would've missed whatever she was aiming for.

Jaune didn't have any way of telling time anymore, having pulled out his scroll earlier, and finding it in pieces. Saphron's watch was cracked, and the second hand wasn't moving, so Jaune couldn't tell the time with that either. He couldn't ask Blake the time either, with her being temporarily deaf.

He couldn't help but pity the faunus for having two sets of ears at that moment.

After what felt like a lifetime, Blake finally lowered the gun, the weapon snapping forward into a short blade. Still Jaune made no effort to move, not wanting to spook her.

"Why are you still here?"

Jaune couldn't help but smile a little. The question was still a little louder than it needed to be, but it wasn't a demand that Jaune back away, nor was it being enforced by gunpoint.

Progress.

"I'm just making sure that you're alright." Jaune said, tilting his head at the two fallen soldiers. "Wouldn't want all of my efforts to be for nothing, would I? Even if you shot me for no reason," Jaune grumbled the last part under his breath.

"I'm fine." Blake said, before picking herself up shakily, using the hand that was holding the weapon.

"From what it looks like, that arm doesn't look fine to me," Jaune knew that he should probably stop talking. After all, it wasn't like Blake was his responsibility or anything. She said she was fine. Nod and move on, never to see each other again. It should've been easy.

"It's not broken." Blake said stubbornly, ears twitching as she glared at him. Jaune didn't even bother flinching, having witnessed worse glares from every other woman in his life.

"Then its dislocated." Jaune dropped his knife, holding out his hands. "Let me help you set it back in, then we can go our separate ways. Deal?"

Blake didn't answer, just staring at the boy.

"Why?"

Why? Why does it matter, why? Jaune didn't know what to make of this girl. Who cares why? He was offering to help her out, why was she so suspicious? He didn't even have a weapon on him, and without his Aura, she would probably gut him like a fish before he could even try and do anything to her.

"Why not?" Jaune shot back tiredly, dropping his hands. "Look," He let out a sigh. "I get it, you don't trust me, and there's no reason you should. I'm just offering to help you out. If you don't want it, fine, I'll just go."

The two of them stood there, staring impassively at the other. Jaune wasn't sure what Blake was thinking about, but his patience was running thin. Finally, right as Jaune was about to turn around, Blake moved forward, grimacing as she turned so that the shoulder was facing him.

"Do you even know how to set one of these things?" She asked doubtfully, glancing at his hands, then back up towards his face. Jaune resisted the urge to roll his eyes, shoving down the remark of how it was a little too late to be worrying about that after she presented the shoulder to him.

"Yes," Jaune tried to go for his most patient voice, trying to channel Saphron when she was tending to his injuries. "I've had to do it a couple of times, mostly to myself. I haven't really done to _for_ anyone else, but I'm sure it's the same—" Jaune jerked the arm out and up, wincing as Blake let out a screech of pain, jerking her arm free. "—thing. And it was, neat."

Jaune's head rocked back from the slap that Blake delivered, the girl baring her teeth at him.

"What was that for?" Blake demanded, rubbing her shoulder. Jaune rubbed his cheek, noting the bruise that was already forming.

"I should be asking you that, why'd you slap me?" Jaune asked, glaring heatedly at the girl.

"You didn't warn me!"

"You're not supposed to get a warning!" Jaune threw his arms up into the air. "You'll tense up at the last second if I give you a warning."

"I would not have."

"Yes you would," Jaune shot back, crossing his arms.

"Would not."

"Would too."

"Would not."

"Would—You know what?" Jaune raised his hands up. He wasn't going to do this. "It doesn't matter. Your shoulder should be fine now, and if you were going to shoot me, you'd do it by now. I'm leaving."

The mention of getting shot reminded Blake that she had shot Jaune in the shoulder, guilt rising.

"Your shoulder." Blake whispered, looking at the wound. "It's bleeding." Jaune raised an eyebrow at the statement.

"I wonder why." He drawled out, shaking his head. "Thanks for reminding me, I almost forgot about it." Huffing out a breath, Jaune pulled off his shirt, tearing strips off of it.

"What're you doing?"

Jaune looked up at the girl expecting to see some horrified expression because he had just taken off his shirt, instead finding a merely curious one instead.

Jaune shook his head, mentally telling himself that he was watching too many cheesy shows on his scroll.

"I'm making sure I don't bleed out." Jaune replied shortly, gritting his teeth and trying to ignore the pain that flared up as he gingerly tied some strips around his shoulder to stem the bleeding.

"Let me help."

Before Jaune could reply, Blake stepped up and grabbed the ruined shirt, further stripping it up, lifting his arm and tying everything together, before tucking his arm into a rudimentary sling, all while ignoring the pained expression on Jaune's face, as well as every sharp inhale from her rough handling.

"How's that feel?" Blake asked gently, stepping back to inspect her handiwork. On the other hand, Jaune tried not to say anything unkind, knowing that she didn't mean to handle him so roughly. It didn't do anything to lessen the pain he was in, but it did prevent him from screaming abuse at her. Letting out a slow breath, Jaune nodded.

Donning his jacket awkwardly back on, Jaune nodded once to the girl, satisfied that they could turn their backs to each other and head on their way.

Retrieving his knives, Jaune took a second to figure out how to sheath them with only one hand, then headed back towards the blast site.

Blake followed, which Jaune wasn't surprised about, guessing that she probably needed a start point just like he did. What did surprise Jaune was when she continued to follow him, even after he took an abrupt left turn after heading into the mass of evergreen trees, just to make sure that Blake was following him and it wasn't just some freak coincidence.

But now, Blake _was_ in fact, following him.

"Is there any reason why you're following me?" Jaune finally asked, wondering if she was just waiting until he lowered his guard before jabbing the thin blade that she was carrying into his back.

Blake didn't answer at first, looking uncertain in how she needed to phrase herself.

"I'm... lost."

Jaune looked at her.

"What?" He asked, making sure that he was mishearing her. That couldn't be the case though, Jaune's case of ear ringing having faded a few minutes before.

"I'm lost." Blake set her expression into a look of determination, daring him to say something.

Jaune just continued to stare, wondering what he had ever done in his thirteen years of living to deserve this.

"You certainly don't look lost." Jaune snarked, deciding that it was the best way to handle the situation, before turning around again. "Just to let you know, I'm not a hundred percent sure I know where I'm going either."

"It's fine." Blake replied back, even though it should've been anything but. "At least this way I'll have someone to distract any Grimm or Atlas soldiers that come by."

Jaune paused at the frank remark, before shaking his head, muttering something about only knowing crazy women.

The two of them didn't go much further before deciding to double back, knowing that if they followed the road, they would eventually have to hit some sort of settlement. They couldn't just stroll down the road of course, one of them being a faunus, while the other was suspiciously injured. There were also several Bullheads that circled above them on occasion, trying to spot survivors.

So the two of them stuck to the sides of the road, taking cover underneath the bushes and behind trees when vehicles came close.

It was starting to get dark when Jaune's ears perked up slightly, hearing a whirring sound that was familiar, and different from the sound that the Bullheads made. Looking up, he saw the Branwen airship, taking off to the east, headed back to Mistral, and too far for Jaune to even attempt to flag down.

"What was that?" Blake asked, watching the same airship, but not understanding the severity of what happened. Jaune turned to her, his expression drawn into a grim line.

"That was my ticket out of Atlas."


	10. Chapter 10

Saphron heard the airship before she saw it, the wind slowly picking up as Raven and Jaune started their approach back to the camp.

The ball of nervousness residing in her stomach hadn't disappeared in the last several hours. Even when the airship touched down in the center of the camp, Saphron's nervousness didn't disappear. In fact, it got a little worse.

Raven got out first, followed by Vernal. Saphron expected Jaune to follow shortly after, Raven usually making sure he didn't go too far away from her. But instead, a bandit that clearly wasn't Jaune jumped out. She couldn't remember his name, but that didn't matter right now, her attention turning to the next person, and finding it not to be Jaune as well. With every person that jumped out, Saphron's heart dropped lower and lower.

Not Jaune.

Not Jaune.

Not Jaune.

At least her stomach didn't seem to be roiling with nervousness, she thought to herself.

Her mind came up with the thought in hopes to calm her down, but it only made Saphron angry. Looking at the other bandits, she found the answer to her unspoken question in the way all of the other bandits looked away from her, all of them finding a path that took them away from the enraged girl. Raven slipped into her tent, leaving only one target for Saphron's intense stare.

Vernal's stance was uncertain, something Saphron hadn't seen before, and would've commented on if it was any different situation. Saphron stood in front of the frozen girl, hands to her side as she watched Vernal, waiting for her to say something. Vernal glanced away from Saphron, both hands clenching and unclenching the weapons looped onto her belt.

Her silence only seemed to feed the anger burning inside of Saphron. To be honest, there wasn't really a response that wouldn't have been thrown into her silent rage. It was a far better option than letting the horrible feeling build up behind Saphron's throat.

"Where is he?" Saphron's whisper pushed roughly past her clogging throat, the words choked. Vernal flinched at the words, opening and closing her mouth, no explanation leaving.

Saphron grabbed Vernal's arm, tugging it harshly, bringing the girl's gaze up to hers. There were so many emotions flitting through her eyes, some pity, some sorry, some indignation, but Saphron didn't _care_ about her emotions, and she didn't care about Vernal right now, and where was her brother!?

"I-" Vernal started.

"Where. Is. He?"

Vernal cut off what was probably some weak excuse, looking away from Saphron. She didn't even try and pull away from the blonde's grip, just closing her eyes instead.

"We don't know."

They didn't know? What the hell did that even mean? Saphron looked at Vernal with wide eyes, waiting for another word. How could they not know where Jaune was? What could've happened that there was enough confusion for Raven or Vernal to lose sight of him?

"Don't fucking lie to me," Saphron snarled, causing Vernal to look up again in alarm. "How could you not know? Did Jaune just magically disappear from existance? Did Raven just let him prance off after they landed in Atlas? Did you guys _kill_ him?" Saphron's voice dropped at the word, hands tightening on Vernal's arm hard enough for the other girl to wince, pushing Saphron away on reflex.

"No! That's not what happened!"

"Then what fucking HAPPENED?" Saphron roared, shoving Vernal back a few feet. Vernal grit her teeth, her voice escalating to match the question.

"We got attacked, alright?" Vernal got back in Saphron's face, shoving her twice as far. "And don't you fucking dare push me like that!"

"I'll push you however I want, you killed MY BROTHER!" Vernal actually had to lean back to dodge the punch that Saphron threw, surprise written on her face as Saphron attacked her. Vernal backed away, trying to get some space in between them, as well as protest her innocence.

Saphron didn't care enough to listen to the protests though, and stepped forwards, wildly swinging another haymaker at Vernal.

Vernal didn't take any more chances, jumping backwards for more room, accidentally goading Saphron into a charge. Unfortunately for Saphron, with enough space, Vernal turned the tables quickly, knocking the fist away with ease, grabbing the other hand as it rose and spun the smaller girl around and kicking a foot away, dropping her firmly onto the ground.

Saphron continued to struggle mightily, screaming threats and other incomprehensible words, tears finally flowing freely.

Vernal bit her lip, but made sure to keep Saphron on the ground, firm, but taking extra care as to not hurt her.

Minutes ticked by as Saphron continued to rant and rave, desperately flinging herself back and forth in hopes that she could either loosen Vernal's grip or force her to hurt Saphron.

She hoped it was the latter.

But Vernal knew what she was doing, and didn't mind moving and shifting so that the anger and hurt could bleed out of Saphron.

And it did, finally.

Vernal released Saphron a couple minutes after she stopped struggling, the blonde not even bothering to pick herself up afterwards. She just laid there, tired.

"I failed as a sister."

Vernal wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear that or not, uncertainty playing visibly on her face. Saphron covered her face with her hands, shaking a little as another sob built up against her will. Vernal knelt back down, a hand hovering above Saphron, the bandit trying to figure out how to comfort Saphron.

Seconds ticked by before Vernal let the hand drop down uselessly, a sigh leaving her.

"There's a chance he could still be alive." The excuse was weak, and Saphron wasn't in the mood for hopefuls. She turned her red-rimmed gaze towards Vernal, hate clearly written on her face.

"You promised me."

Vernal didn't want to admit how much those words hurt her.

"I—"

"Just leave me." The words were miserable, but firm, no room left for Vernal to argue. They made her mad, somewhat, at how much it sounded like Saphron was giving up. During the three or so years that they had known each other, Vernal had never seem Saphron look anything but driven and capable.

Seeing her like this caused a pang in an area Vernal hadn't thought could feel anymore.

No more words passed between them, Vernal standing up slowly, eyes never leaving the still form. Every few seconds Vernal opened her mouth, trying to find the right words to say, before closing it uselessly, frustrated that she didn't know how to deal with this.

"Whatever." Vernal tried for her best bitchy tone, hoping that it would spur something out of Saphron. But it didn't. If anything, Vernal saw her curl into herself a little more with those words.

With one last look at Saphron, Vernal left her, hoping that time would help her heal.

"Jaune…"

* * *

Blake's Aura finally seemed to noticeably be making a headway on her injuries.

The throbbing that originated around her ears seemed to be fading, as well as the high pitched whine that made it hard for her to listen to her surroundings at times, which didn't help with her paranoia.

It was another reason why she trailed so far behind Jaune, she supposed.

How could he trust her so quickly, Blake wondered. She had attacked him, shot him, and basically did nothing that would endear her to him. All he knew was that she was a White Fang terrorist, and yet he was comfortable with showing his back to her.

Her hand gripped Gambol Shroud tightly, the thought of attacking his back flitting through her mind, disappearing just as quickly.

What kind of person would she be if she attacked the boy who saved her?

Jaune looked over his shoulder at her, the timing too coincidental to her loosening her grip on Gambol. His eyes flickered up and down, cataloguing her in a way that reminded her of Adam. Guarded and aware of every danger that was being presented to him.

She had a feeling that if she had tried to attack him a second earlier, it wouldn't have been as much of a surprise as she was hoping it could've been.

Blake shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts again. They had been hiking up beside the road for several hours now, and while she was used to living hard and rough during a mission, even she needed a rest after a while. Frustratingly enough, Jaune barely looked affected, His breathing controlled and steady, his pace almost robotic, with the only indication that he was tired was the sweat that dripped off of him.

Jaune stopped suddenly, glancing at the setting sun before turning to regard Blake.

"We should probably hunker down for the night," The blond said softly, brushing the bangs hanging over his eyes. Blake didn't bother arguing, giving him a short nod before sinking into the ground, letting out a sharp exhale that was half pain, half relief. Jaune sat down as well, making no noise as he did so.

One of Blake's cat ears flicked in annoyance. How was it that a human her age was quieter than her? Was he actually human, or was he some sort of stealth faunus with an easily hidden trait?

"Is there something on my face?"

The question jolted Blake out of her rude staring, her eyes quickly moving away. Luckily enough, Blake couldn't really get any redder than she already was, what with all of the exertion that she had just went through.

Jaune continued to watch her, probably waiting for an answer, which Blake wasn't in a hurry to give. Shrugging to himself, he sat hunched over against a tree, closing his eyes.

She could almost see the Aura pulsing around him as he sent it into overdrive, the last of the cuts and bruises healing before her eyes. There was no telling how much Aura the boy had to have to do something like that after tanking such a violent Dust explosion. Several hours later and Blake was still scrambling to try and dreg up enough Aura to protect herself from a solid hit or two.

She was lucky enough to be alive, to be honest.

A noise startled the girl, making her almost jump, before she realized that she was the one making the noise. Placing a hand against her stomach, she forgotten how long it's been since she's eaten. Regenerating Aura also burned an obscene amount of calories too, and she only found herself getting hungrier and hungrier at that thought. Glancing up, Blake found Jaune with a small grin on his face, the boy shifting and procuring a couple granola bars, tossing one of them towards her.

"It's not much," Jaune said through the crunch, having already torn one open, "but it should get us through the night."

Nodding her thanks, Blake peeled the bar open, the granola disappearing far faster than she wished. It wasn't her first time having to survive off of hard rations though, so Jaune wouldn't hear any complaining from her.

"Are you going to take first watch?"

Blake stared at the boy, wondering why he would volunteer her up like that. She'd take offense, except... Jaune wasn't doing it to be mean, or lazy.

Did he know that she didn't trust him enough to take first shift? Was this his way of telling her that he trusted her, even though she didn't trust him? Or was he doing that so that she would think that, so when she lowered her guard he would strike against her?

No, that was stupid. If he wanted her dead, he could've just waited for the Atlas soldiers to finish her off.

Another nod was all Jaune needed, the boy drawing his knees into a ball, his head tucked in between his knees. It didn't take much longer before Blake could hear his breathing peter down into something steady.

Looking out towards the setting sun, she let out a sigh. Four hours to go.

Hopefully she wouldn't fall asleep with how tired she was.

* * *

Jaune woke up to noises in front of him.

It didn't take much to wake Jaune up these days. Raven had taken to making it a habit to attack him at _all_ times, and sleep didn't mean anything to the Bandit Queen. Sometimes, he would even wake up to Saphron changing her breathing patterns when they had the occasional sleepover.

That's apparently what woke him up, as his vision cleared up, finding Blake fast asleep.

Falling asleep during her watch, Jaune noted with a frown. Raven would've beaten him up and down the camp if he had fallen asleep.

Whatever, Jaune thought to himself. Blake was tired, Jaune could definitely tell. He was tired too, but tired was a constant for him some days. Picking himself up tiredly, Jaune rubbed the rest of the sleep out of his eyes, checking his knives.

Looking at the bearing of the shattered moon and twinkling stars, Jaune checked the time.

"Six hour watch isn't horrible," Jaune muttered, more to convince himself than anything else. Casting another glance at Blake in hopes that she had woken up, but she was tired enough to sleep through the rustling Jaune had done.

Resigning himself to six long hours of staring into the trees, Jaune decided to climb up onto one of the thicker trees, wanting a good view of the sky if he was going to have to go through with this. Finding a sturdy branch that he could rest on, he leaned back, letting out a small exhale as he settled in, scanning the dense forest twice, making sure to vary the way to watched so his mind didn't start regularizing anything unusual. After making sure they were safe, Jaune looked up at the stars again, watching and trying to recall their positions in the skies. Constellations, Jaune remembered, something Saphron loved to teach him about. He wasn't super into it like she was, but he could appreciate knowing about them. It especially helped him get his bearings, even if the placements were a little different than they were when him and Saphron studied them floating over the Branwen camp.

He continued to alternate his position and attention, knowing that he wasn't making enough noise to alert anyone while he was sitting so far up. Every ten minutes or so he switched his attention from the skies to the trees, going over them attentively, putting all of his efforts into spotting anything strange. It helped him stay away and ignore the fatigue that seemed to be constantly threatening to overtake him.

The third hour in, Jaune noticed movement in the lower left of his field of vision, clearing the haziness out of his mind. Scrambling up onto his knees, Jaune narrowed his vision, trying to see what was happening.

It was dark, but the light of the moon glinted off of whatever was moving. Too uniform to be Grimm. It couldn't be an animal either, not with how it was shining in the light. There! Another glint had Jaune turn to find the movement coming closer. Drawing a knife, Jaune waited, hoping that it would circle around their slipshod excuse for a camp without noticing Blake.

A particularly loud snap of twigs broke from underneath one of the Altesian soldiers.

One of Blake's faunus ears twitched as she woke up with a start. She didn't make much noise, but Jaune saw one of the men turn slightly.

Taking no chances, Jaune dropped from the tree branch, landing feet first on top of one of the soldier's shoulders. Ignoring the cracking of bone underneath, Jaune bent his knees and rolled, springing up to silence the second Atlas soldier, second knife piercing deep.

Blake appeared a second later, Gambol Shroud in hand.

Jaune ignored her, turning to the soldier that he had incapacitated earlier. Twirling a knife, he knelt down, lifting the mask off of him. Green eyes flashed in fear as the man tried to squirm away, only to find his legs trapped underneath Jaune, who sat there as casually as if he was sitting on a bench. With both shoulders broken, the man wasn't able to do anything else but whimper, half in pain and half in fear at the boy sitting in front of him.

Jaune lifted the knife up to the moonlight to inspecting the razor sharp edge, eyes flat and lifeless.

"Does anyone know you're here?"

Jaune's voice was dangerously low, bringing goose bumps up and down the man's arms. It sounded like someone who wasn't afraid to kill him if he told him the wrong answer. It sounded like a man who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty to get what he wanted.

Jaune shifted a little to avoid getting his pants wet as the other man physically showed how scared he was.

"Does anyone know that you're here?" Jaune asked again, placing the tip of his blade against the man's thigh, his tone exactly the same as it was before.

The man shook his head, stammering out an answer.

"N-no, well, not exaclty," The man gasped as Jaune slowly dug into his thigh, drawing blood. "They! They told us to scout the general area out, but they don't know exactly where w-we are, no."

Jaune watched to make sure that the soldier was telling the truth. Seeing no deception, Jaune glanced at Blake, who was trying her best not to look horrified at what was happening.

"Get your stuff," Jaune whispered, "We're leaving."

Blake nodded slowly, hesitating for a moment.

"You're... you're not going to kill him, are you?" She asked tentatively. Jaune tilted his head a little, not noticing the tiny whimper the man let out when she asked the question.

"Why wouldn't I?" The question wasn't a challenge or anything. Jaune simply wanted to understand the reason why she would want the man alive. "I don't think there's any information that he could give us that would help us in this situation. If anyone found him alive, he could tell them where we're heading." Jaune laid his knife against the man's throat, cutting off his hasty promise of not revealing where they were. Blake hesitated again, eyes wide as she watched the emotionless boy in front of her.

"But it would be wrong." Blake murmured.

Jaune tensed up, eyes narrowing. For a terrorist, Blake was a little too soft-hearted for her own good. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not for the situation that he was in at the moment.

"Fine." Jaune said, shrugging.

Some of the tension that had built in Blake's shoulders dissipated, a small smile forming on her face. She nodded once and turned around, heading towards the camp before she heard a gurgle behind her, her head whipping around again to find Jaune's knife bloody red, blood spilling out of the gash on the man's neck.

"W-what..." Blake covered her mouth in horror, watching the man's life slowly fade out of his eyes, Jaune wiping the blade off with the Atlesian soldier's shirt and stowing it away, standing up.

"What did you do that for!?" Blake cried out, rushing towards the dead man. Jaune stepped aside, crossing his arms as she fell on her knees.

"He was a threat."

Blake glared at Jaune, standing up. "A threat? How was he a threat? He couldn't hurt us if he wanted to!" Jaune looked at her levelly.

"He could've told them where we left. It's too much of a risk." Raven always drilled it into his head to leave no witnesses. Their line of work was too dangerous to have any first-hand accounts.

"We would've been long gone by the time they got here! It wouldn't have mattered!"

Jaune kept his arms crossed. "It was too much of a risk." Jaune glanced at the dying man, shoving the emotion that tried to well up inside of him.

"You've got no sympathy at all, do you?" Blake hissed out, turning her full anger onto Jaune. "You'd find any excuse to kill anyone, wouldn't you?"

"It was necessary."

"That was not necessary." Blake ground out, getting into Jaune's face. Both of their eyes hardened, their stubbornness clashing against one another.

"You're a monster."

Jaune closed his eyes, his heart panging for a moment. He could remember all of the times he looked like Blake, watching Raven as she did some unspeakable thing. _You're a monster, Raven_. Jaune had promised himself that he wouldn't ever be like the woman who kidnapped him.

"Yes."

Blake took a step back, emotions stirring as she gripped her weapon tightly. Then the walls came up, hiding whatever tiny progress they had made a few hours before. She turned away, heading back towards the camp to grab her things.

Jaune stood there for a moment, wondering how much more Raven had to push him before he became exactly like her, before following Blake.


	11. Chapter 11

Night time was peaceful in the Branwen camp grounds.

A handful of bandits patrolled the outer areas, but there was no hurry or attentiveness to their movements. No one would even think about trying to attack the tribe at this day and age. Raven had made them a name to be feared, something many of them were grateful for.

So it didn't take much effort for Saphron to gather her things and stuff them into a pack in the middle of the night and take off, slipping in between a rotating shift.

A couple changes of clothing, some ration bars that the tribe kept on hand for extended raiding, and a wicked looking knife that Saphron had planned on giving Jaune when he came back home.

Planning, Saphron corrected in her mind. Jaune had to be alive still. She could feel it. And even if he wasn't...

Well, Saphron would bury the knife with him, once she found him.

"You know, even us bandits wouldn't try and take a midnight stroll into the woods by ourselves."

Saphron's shoulders dropped a little at Vernal's voice. She wasn't really surprised to hear it though. Vernal seemed to always know what Saphron was doing.

"You know, stalking isn't a very flattering look on you." Saphron ground out, fists balling around the straps of the backpack she had on. She tried not to turn to look at Vernal, but couldn't help a quick glance her way.

Vernal stood against a nearby tree trunk, arms crossed. Saphron averted her eyes to quickly to see the expression on her face, but she could guess that it wasn't going to be a very positive one.

The silence dragged on farther than either one would've liked, but neither of them knew what to say to the other. Finally, Vernal broke the silence.

"Do you even know where in Atlas Jaune could be right now?" Saphron heard her shift. "It's a pretty big place after all. Cold, too."

"I have a jacket." Saphron said tersely.

"Oh good," Vernal scoffed, "so that's one of a million things that could go wrong taken care of then."

"I have to go." Saphron murmured. "I can't just abandon him like that."

"You can't abandon a dead body."

"He's alive!" Saphron glared at Vernal, fists held to her side. Vernal didn't move, simply staring at Saphron, her expression tinged with a slight sadness.

"Saph..."

"No!" Saphron held out her hands, stopping Vernal. "No! Stop trying to convince me! I know he's alive, I know it!" Vernal raised her hands, trying her best to ignore the crack in Saphron's voice.

"Ok, ok." Vernal spoke soothingly, not wanting to deal with a hysterical Saphron. "I get it. He's your brother. You need to believe he's alive, I get it."

"I _know_ he's alive." Saphron hissed out, teeth bared. "And you can't stop me from leaving."

The challenge sparked something nasty in Vernal's eyes, her face turning to stone. "Do you really think I couldn't?" Her voice leaned on a dangerous edge, daring Saphron to lean back.

"No." Saphron drew the knife out. "Because I won't stop fighting you. The only way you'll stop me is if you kill me."

Vernal's eyes widened at the conviction in Saphron's voice. She was serious. It was enough to wipe away Vernal's momentary pride, concern surfacing again.

"I'm not going to kill you." Vernal said softly.

"Then let me go." The tone was almost pleading.

"I can't let you do that either."

Saphron opened her mouth to shoot another angry retort, but Vernal continued speaking.

"At least, not on your own."

 _What_? Saphron stared at the girl standing in front of her.

"What?" Saphron repeated the thought out loud. Vernal sighed, lowering her crossed arms and kicking herself off of the tree trunk. Along with the movement revealed a backpack not unlike Saphron's, previously hid by the way Vernal had been standing. The thought of what Vernal was about to do struck Saphron, humbling her for a second.

"Are you really...?"

Vernal glared at the girl, hefting the pack across her shoulders. "Raven ordered me to keep an eye on you. I can't do that if I just let you skip off by yourself."

Warmth suffused Saphron, a bit of red dusting her cheeks as well.

"Thank you."

Vernal eyed Saphron, her expression resigned.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't thank me yet. We still don't have any idea where that brat is, and that's not taking into account the fact that we're going to have to find away to cross over the fucking sea either."

"We'll figure something out," Saphron said reassuringly, trying to silence Vernal's worries quickly. She didn't want Vernal to change her mind, and leave her all alone on this journey. She would've been willing to go alone if that was the only option, but she certainly welcomed Vernal's company all the same.

"We better, and we better do it fast. Raven's not going to be happy, and she can move a lot faster than the both of us can."

Saphron hesitated, glancing at Vernal.

"How fast could she possibly be?"

"Very."

The answer didn't come from Vernal, like Saphron expected, instead originating from back behind Saphron's left shoulder. The voice was distinctive enough for Saphron to recognize, her heart dropping. Her eyes wide, she looked at Vernal, wondering if she had just been trying to stall her until Raven arrived. In her state of mind, that was what she was going to assume, until she spotted Vernal sporting the same shocked look on her face that she had.

Turning, she saw Raven standing a few feet away, arms crossed, expression flat.

Jutting out her chin, Saphron crossed her arms as well, summoning the meanest scowl she could.

"You can't stop me from leaving, Raven. You don't have anything to hold against me anymore, so either you can let me leave, or you can kill me." Saphron glowered at her. "Take it, or leave it."

Raven tilted her head to the side, an almost bored expression on her face.

"He's alive, girl."

The words caused Saphron to freeze, her mind trying to process what Raven meant by that. How would she even know? Was she lying to Saphron? That couldn't be right. Raven was a lot of things, but throughout the many years that Saphron had gotten to know the woman, she very rarely lied, especially when it came to something like this. But then...

"Then it's especially important I try and find him then." Saphron said, the words Raven offered only spurring her further.

"No."

Saphron blinked at the blatant refusal.

"No?" The blonde repeated, the word so brazen that she wasn't completely sure what Raven meant.

The leader of the Branwen clan looked at the starry night, eyes unfocused, almost glazed over. Just as quickly, Raven's eyes snapped back into focus, her face settling back into immense boredom.

"You have laundry to finish up. Mine, to be specific. It's been dirtied since the last raid, and my armor needs to be maintained."

Saphron had to bite her lip hard, hands trembling at how casually Raven was speaking. Jaune didn't even matter to her, did he?

"I am leaving." Saphron ground out, interrupting the laundry list Raven was listing out. "You might not care about Jaune, but I do, and if you still want me to be your little servant, then you're just going to have to wait until I get back." Saphron sucked in a breath. "So fuck. you."

Confident that she had said enough to unbalance both Raven and Vernal, Saphron turned around, only to meet Raven, the woman moving so fast that Saphron didn't even have enough time to cry out in surprise, let alone bring her Aura up. Down came Raven's hand, chopping Saphron across the neck and knocking her out cold.

Saphron fell into a heap at Raven's feet, the whole action happening in less than a second.

Vernal stood nearby, hands balled into fists, knuckles white as she watched the whole thing with apprehension.

After making sure that Saphron was well and truly under, Raven nodded at Vernal. "Take her back to her tent. Make sure she does not leave camp grounds." Vernal nodded, moving quickly to obey orders, making sure she was completely silent as she did so. Gathering Saphron up into her arms, Vernal turned, pausing when Raven called her name again, the hair on the back of her neck rising as Raven leaned down to whisper into her ear.

"And I would like to speak with you in my tent after you drop the girl off. Privately."

Vernal nodded, face pale as she tried her best not to break out into a panicked run. One last glance showed Raven tilted towards the sky, eyes closed, as if listening to the world around her.

* * *

Jaune was in trouble.

Panting heavily, Jaune ducked a low hanging branch, wincing as a heard air shear through a tree trunk near him.

"You're dead!"

Jaune cursed, taking a sharp left turn in hopes to break his assailant's line of sight.

For a few beautiful brief seconds, there was quiet, before Jaune heard the high pitched whine of another attack approaching. Diving to the side, the red afterimage of a blade struck a tree close to him, slicing neatly through.

To stay still in a fight was death, and Jaune took the saying to heart as he popped up from his roll running, continuing to duck and weave through trees and bushes.

How did it end up like this, Jaune thought to himself, suppressing a yelp as Adam's semblance barely missed his right ear.

He and Blake were a handful of miles away from a habitable city when Blake decided to take a bathroom break. There was intense amounts of arguing, Jaune trying to convince her to hold it until they made it into the city, and Blake insisting that she needed to go _right now_. They were so close, Jaune had tried to reason, surely she could afford to brave on.

In the end, Blake told him that she needed to go, and that she was going to go. If he was so excited to get to the city, he could leave without her.

And while Jaune was trying to be a good Samaritan, a very bedraggled Adam appeared out of nowhere, intent on taking his head off. Jaune hadn't even had the time to ask why Adam wanted to murder him, what with the too busy trying to stay alive.

Jaune vaulted neatly over a fallen trunk, taking another random turn before hearing something ahead of him, causing him to tuck and roll once again, before facing a bewildered looking Blake.

"Jaune, what's going on, why're you so out of breath?"

Jaune dropped his hands on his knees, trying to get his breathing steadied as he tried to explain what was going on.

"Crazy—hah, hah, crazy Fang man, hah, big sword, hah, HELP," Jaune yelled, taking off again when he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise, narrowly dodging yet another attack. Blake twisted to face the attacker, eyes growing wide.

"Adam? Is that you?"

There wasn't much that could stop the homicidal rage that Adam was flying through, but Blake's voice definitely cut through better than anything else. Faltering in his step, Adam turned slowly, surprise visible.

"Blake? You're... alive?" The wonder in his voice brought a tingle to Blake's heart. Breaking into a small smile, Blake nodded, taking a step forwards.

Unfortunately, this was also around the same time that Jaune decided to go on the offensive. After all, if the crazy guy wasn't going to stop chasing after him, Jaune was going to have to do it himself. Seeing the older teen falter like that was an opportunity in his mind, and there was a quick one-eighty as Jaune jumped into the air, both of his feet landing on Adam's face.

A strange noise escaped Adam as he fell backwards, Jaune following suit but able to recover a little faster, pulling out one of his blades. Adam rolled onto his feet just a second later, just in time to block one of Jaune's blows with a growl.

"Wait, guys, please!"

Blake's plea went ignored as the two boys traded blows back and forth, neither of them really putting any finesse into the scuffle.

Separating was also a messy affair, the two practically yapping angrily at each other as they did so. Blake stepped in between the two of them, holding her hands out.

"Stop!" She yelled, eyes shooting back and forth between the two of them. With great reluctance, the two of them lowered their weapons, trying to watch both Blake and their opponents, waiting to see if they would attack out of the blue. Making sure that neither was going to try and rush past her to get to the other one, Blake let out a sigh, lowering her arms.

"I'm glad to see you, Adam." Blake turned fully to look at her partner, putting on a tentative smile in hopes that it would lower his defenses a little more. "This is Jaune. He's saved my life several times now." The hint wasn't quiet, nor subtle.

Adam's glare softened a little, but there was still doubt on his face when he looked back at Jaune. Opening and closing his mouth, Adam tried to find a way to thank the boy, but couldn't find it in himself to do so. Instead, he turned to Blake, striding up to her and wrapping her into a tight hug.

"I am glad you're safe, Blake." The words were delivered with a warmth that didn't match Adam's eyes, constantly tracking Jaune, a hardened glare over the unscarred side of his face. "The remaining White Fang have gathered at our old rendezvous point. You should head there as well."

Separating from Blake, Adam's face morphed quickly into one of obvious concern, the molding so sudden and so disturbing that Jaune had to suppress a shiver. Adam was not a good person, Jaune thought to himself. Nevertheless, it wasn't his fight to fight, and if it got Blake out of his hands (and into safety), then Jaune wasn't going to be the one to complain about it.

Blake gripped the underside of Adam's arm, a brief smile on her face before she nodded, glancing at Jaune for a second.

"Do you think... Jaune helped me quite a bit," Blake managed, turning back to her partner. "Do you think that he could come with us?"

Adam stiffened at the request, a second or two passing before he seemed to relax muscle by muscle, the smile on his face turning more plastic. Jaune's hackles rose, the leather on his knife creaking as he gripped it tightly.

"I- I don't think that's a good idea, Blake," Adam continued quickly before Blake could interrupt him, ears perked. "I certainly don't have a problem with it, Blake. It's just..." Adam rubbed the back of his neck, face morphing into something apologetic. "I just don't think it would be a good idea to have a human on the same truck as us. We're all injured and frustrated that everything kind of went south. I simply don't think we should poke the nest anymore than we have to." Dead eyes met Jaune's. "Surely you would understand, Blake."

He was good, Jaune could admit that much. If Jaune wasn't so jaded and on guard, the reasons would make complete sense, Adam only refusing because he cared for the faunus under him. And maybe that was true to some extent.

But Jaune could also see the simmering rage underneath Adam's eyes, and that only drove his paranoia to higher, unspoken levels.

Blake didn't seem to catch it, however, taking everything Adam had said at face value. Still though, she bit her lip, casting a glance at Jaune. She didn't want to leave Jaune empty-handed and in the dust, especially after he had been so patient with her.

"You should go," Jaune finally spoke, a wan smile on his face. Blake didn't look very convinced, but Jaune waved her concern off. "You've found your group. Make sure everyone's alright." Jaune smirked just a little. "I'm sure no one wants to spend any more time with a monster like me anyways."

There was still conflict splayed on her face, but she nodded, disappearing into the trees. Adam gave Jaune one last glance, filled with hatred, before taking his leave as well.

And so, Jaune was alone again, left standing in silence as he strained his hearing to make sure nothing or no one was sneaking up on him. Satisfied with the quick assessment, Jaune headed towards the direction of the town, shoving the brief feeling of sadness away as he did so.

He knew that Blake would leave his company eventually, but he never really pursued that line of thought, more concerned about survival than anything else. She was skittish, and didn't really have an idea of how to be polite, and never apologized outright for shooting him, but... she was company.

And it was nice to have company every once in a while.

Jaune stopped his brisk jog, closing his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he tried to clear his mind of those thoughts. Getting distracted would only hurt him right now. There would be plenty of time to reflect later.

Segmenting the thoughts in his mind, he put them away neatly, allowing the sounds of nature to overtake him instead, overwriting the thoughts that plagued him.

He listened to the sound of the swaying trees and the winds that blew across them.

He heard the faint sounds of insects and small animals moving.

He heard the sound of...

The sound of...

Why did that sound so familiar?

Jaune's eyes snapped open as he dived away from where he was standing, the pressure of a red streak destroying everything in its path as it flew past him.

Turning, Jaune faced an emerging Adam, face set into a snarl, blade clenched in his fist.

"You're dead, human."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Mmm, trying out something new. Tell me what you guys think.**

* * *

Adam moved like a Beowulf on a mission.

Jaune couldn't keep up with him, no matter how quickly he moved. Adam had a few years over Jaune, and the physical conditioning that would put even Vernal to shame.

Fighting back was just lengthening his incoming suicide.

There was a rage burning in Adam's eyes, but other than that, everything else was absolutely controlled. There were no openings, no risky patterns of movement. Adam wanted Jaune dead, and he was going to get there as practically as possible.

It was terrifying.

The initial deluge of attacks had left Jaune with barely any Aura left, and missing one of his knives, Adam neatly disarming him within the first exchange. Jaune didn't take any chances after that, deciding that sprinting away as fast as possible was the best idea.

That wasn't working very well for Jaune either.

Adam was fast, and taller, and stronger, and much more experienced when it came to head to head fights to the death apparently. Jaune wasn't stupid. He'd fought Raven more times that he had lost count when he turned eleven. Adam was nowhere near the level of skill Raven was at, but that didn't really mean much to Jaune. A small waterfall would kill him just the same as a big one.

Unfortunately, even with all of the iron-clad ambushes and attacks Raven would do, she never went that final step. Raven could've killed him at any time, but she didn't, and that stuck with Jaune. Stunted his growth ever so slightly.

Adam wasn't afraid to kill Jaune though.

Jaune was starting to run out of breath.

It was getting to the point where Jaune could barely keep his head up, vision dimming a little as he kept up the grueling pace. Adam followed behind at a more reasonable pace, knowing that so long as Jaune was in sight, Adam could follow him through. And he did, patience full as he continued to run Jaune into the ground. Jaune needed to pull something out, and quick.

So he decided to trip on a tree root, tumbling a few feet before planting his face against a trunk.

Spitting out grass out of his mouth, Jaune scrambled to the side, narrowly dodging Adam's sword as it impaled several inches into the tree trunk. Trying his best to scream as manly as he could, Jaune kicked out, aiming for Adam's stomach. Jaune's kick was a little too slow however, Adam able to grab his ankle, picking him up and slamming him into the tree, before throwing him several feet.

Massive as Jaune's Aura was, the amount of damage Adam dished out was slowly getting to him. Head ringing, Jaune stood up, only to meet the flat of Adam's sword, bringing his head back into a loud ring, dropping him back onto the ground.

"Gah, uh..." Jaune tried to speak, but couldn't find his tongue, completely dazed underneath Adam.

Jaune could feel a fist bunch up the back of his shirt, pulling him up to Adam's eye level.

Anger. Fury. Rage.

These were all the same adjectives.

Jaune decided that at this point, he had accrued enough damage to the noggin to consider it a concussion.

Pain blossomed underneath his ribs, Adam giving him a quick jab, bringing his drooping eyes back into focus. He was a lot more sadistic than Jaune had given him credit for, apparently. Nostrils flaring, Adam dropped Jaune, raising his blade skywards.

Welp, Jaune thought to himself dopily, this is probably it.

* * *

Saphron woke up with a start, mind working fast to try and remember what had happened since she blacked out. Images and words solidified, bringing her attention to the present.

She was cuffed to her bed. Pulling the cuffs as hard as she could, she found her Aura-boosted strength enough to start bending the cheap metal bedposts, the sounds of creaking making Saphron sweat.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Saphron turned to see Vernal.

"Why are you _always_ around?" Saphron huffed out a breath, but continued to pull on the handcuffs. Vernal raised an eyebrow at the question, but didn't move to stop Saphron from pulling.

"You should really stop that." Vernal said, ignoring Saphron's question, "Those're on more for your benefit than anyone else's."

"Really? And why would me being cuffed to the bed be of any benefit to me?" Saphron rolled her eyes, disappointed that Vernal would even try to spin this to be a good thing. Once again, Vernal didn't rise to be jibe, simply watching Saphron, who slowly stopped what she was doing.

A Vernal that didn't bite back when barked at was a very strange Vernal.

Something was going on, and Saphron wasn't sure she wanted to be around when it happened.

"What's going on?" Saphron changed tactics, eyes narrowing. "Did you guys finally decide to kill me? Is there going to be some grand execution now? Is that why you look so calm? Glad to get rid of me?"

Saphron tried not to feel smug when Vernal flinched, eyes dropping away.

"No, you're not dying today." Vernal took a deep breath, looking back at Saphron. "Raven just left." Saphron tilted her head at that. It wasn't often that Raven disappeared without some sort of entourage. She couldn't even remember the last time she left without Vernal by her side.

"Why?"

Vernal crossed her arms. "If I tell you, will you promise not to try and break the bed? That shit's not easy to replace, you know." Saphron rolled her eyes, letting her hands drop. "Thank you," Vernal said, bringing Saphron's eyebrows up.

Vernal never thanked anyone.

"Raven left towards Atlas about an hour ago."

Atlas?

Saphron's heart soared, relief rushing through her. She knew Raven wouldn't just leave Jaune out to die. That would be counterproductive after so many years molding him to be whatever the hell it was Raven wanted him to be.

"Good." Saphron whispered, loud enough for Vernal to hear. A small smile appeared on Vernal's face, her expression getting softer now that there wasn't a threat that Saphron would go ballistic because they were abandoning Jaune.

"Yeah."

The both of them nodded, looking around the room.

"Thank you for offering to come along with me." Saphron said quietly, trying to get rid of the awkward silence. Vernal shrugged, one hand reflexively moving up to her left bicep. Saphron frowned, a tattoo poking out from under Vernal's fingers.

"That looks new." She commented, jutting her chin out to point at Vernal's tattoo. The other girl winced, letting her hand drop as she twisted her body a little, the ink disappearing from sight.

"It is." Vernal's voice was quiet, quieter than Saphron had ever heard.

Vernal built herself to be a menace, a danger that couldn't be ignored. Even in the sanctity of the Branwen tribe, she was always a force of nature, constantly in your face. Saphron may not like it when it was directed at her, but she could always find some level of respect for the girl.

It was Saphron's respect for Vernal that tugged at her heartstrings when she saw how vulnerable the blue-eyed girl looked. Nothing more.

"Did Raven put that on you?"

Vernal bit her lip, face in brief anguish. She dipped her head once. Saphron's rising heart sank back down slowly.

"Was it because of me?"

Vernal closed her eyes.

Saphron cursed under her breath.

"Can you unlock me, please?" The question was muted, but Saphron wasn't sure how else to proceed with the conversation. "I promise I'm not going to run away."

Glad to have anything else to divert the attention away from her, Vernal nodded, moving close and procuring a key from her pockets, deftly releasing Saphron's hands. The blonde tilted her head up to look at Vernal, their faces close.

"Thanks," Saphron breathed out, making Vernal blush fiercely. Saphron decided that she definitely liked Vernal blushing.

Vernal stood up hurriedly, the bed protesting at the sudden action. "Y-yeah, sure." She muttered, glancing away again. Saphron took that opportunity to get off of the bed, moving so that she could see the tattoo on Vernal's arm. It detailed what looked like a bird, over blossoming flowers. It looked beautiful, even with the reddish tinge from being recently drawn.

Saphron decided that she hated it.

"I'm sorry." She murmured, reaching out to touch the ink, faltering for a second before touching near it instead. She couldn't remember if a recently done tattoo shouldn't be touched or not, but she wasn't going to chance it.

"Not your fault," Vernal said gruffly, pulling her arm away. "I decided to disobey Raven." She huffed out a wet breath. "Look where that got me."

Saphron swallowed.

"Thank you."

Vernal smiled softly.

* * *

The clang of metal on metal was jarring, but loud enough to snap Jaune's focus back into the forefront of his mind, revealing a gloved hand outstretched in front of him, Adam's sword resting against the top of the gauntlet.

Adam jumped back, falling into a crouched stance as he stood face to face against a masked Raven. Hand against her sheath, Raven stood up, her stance loose and casual as she watched Adam, whose eyes burned even fiercer what with Jaune escaping narrow death once again.

"Who are you?" Adam asked, hand clenching and unclenching his blade, every muscle tensed and ready for action.

Raven didn't answer, and didn't move, just watching, and waiting for Adam to do something.

Adam's eyes narrowed. He hadn't lived this long without developing some sort of way for measuring threat levels, and his radar was going off the charts. Even as preoccupied as he was with Jaune, he should've heard the woman coming, a rush of wind, a brush of leaves, something.

There was nothing.

One moment he was ready to impale the kid who tried to hurt his Blake, and the next moment, the woman had appeared out of nowhere, intervening.

She was dangerous, and Adam was running out of time.

Letting out a slow breath, Adam calmed himself, let his rage drop from ballistic to barely manageable, letting his brain do some work. The blond brat was nothing compared to him, but the woman was a complete unknown, and as harmless as the kid was in face to face combat, Adam wasn't sure he wanted to know how vicious he was with that knife once he faded out of view.

With one last glare towards Jaune, Adam left, promising himself that he would return to this fight one day, and make sure the blond would die by his blade.

It wasn't until the last of Adam's footsteps faded that Jaune let himself relax. While he was pretty confident that Adam wouldn't try to ambush him with Raven around, it wouldn't be a good idea to be caught unawares again.

Looking up at Raven, he felt a stab of annoyance.

How long was she following him? She couldn't have gotten there any sooner?

"Was this another test?" Jaune asked, although it was more rhetorical than anything else. Of course it was a test. That was Jaune's whole life under Raven after all. Test after test after test. "I hope you're happy with the results then." Jaune picked himself up, freezing when Raven finally spoke.

"I was not."

Jaune stayed half-crouched, eyes wide. It was the first time Raven had ever verbally expressed her dissatisfaction with him. Captor, torturer, mentor, whatever she was...

Hearing those words hurt.

"I see." Jaune said levelly, still avoiding eye contact.

"The Faunus was a challenge." Raven spoke quietly, not quite whispering. "But he could have been defeated. I expected you to do so." There was a pause. "I did not expect him to hand your ass on a platter so readily."

Jaune flinched, both at the imagery, and at the coarse language. Raven rarely cursed. She rarely spoke, really, so it was more of a double whammy than anything. Raven let out a slow sigh.

"It seems that you have stagnated. And I have no use for someone like you." Talentless was the unspoken word. Jaune felt a stab of indignation, but it was drowned with another emotion as he registered Raven's words.

"You... have no use for me?" The inquiry was soft, level, even, Jaune not wanting any emotions to color the question.

Raven didn't answer for the longest time.

Finally, Jaune heard a loud thump, bringing his head up.

His raiding backpack, the flap open, contents spilling out haphazardly. Jaune saw clothes, rations, even a little bit of lien poking out. Provisions.

"You are no longer welcome in the Branwen tribe."

A portal pulsed open, Raven turning to step through it.

"Wait!"

The word was enough to stop Raven in her tracks, although she didn't turn around to regard Jaune.

He was free. Free from the constant torture and lessons. It felt a little anticlimactic, but he would take it. Except...

"What about my sister?"

Raven turned to look at Jaune, her eyes piercing even under the mask.

"She stays."

And then she was gone.

* * *

It took a little more than two weeks for Jaune to find his way back to the Branwen tribe.

Hanging out near what Jaune could judge as the edge of the tribe boundaries, Jaune bit his lip, trying his best to remember the layout of the camp, and the rotating guard.

It had cost him almost all of his lien to get back, but he made it. If he was caught, he would be treated like any outsider.

They would kill him.

But he wasn't going to leave Saphron there all by herself.

There was a crack of a tree branch that caused Jaune to freeze, hoping that wasn't a scout about to call down the whole tribe on him.

Unfortunately, his luck was never that good.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in."

Jaune closed his eyes briefly, annoyance flaring as he turned to look at Vernal, the girl sporting a shit eating grin.

"I thought you were banned from the tribe, brat."

Jaune growled, pulling out his knife. "I'm here for my sister." He spat, glaring at Vernal. "I'll leave after she's with me."

The girl snorted, crossing her arms. "Great. You and what army, kid?" She gestured towards the camp. "You really think you can sneak all the way through to the middle of the campgrounds, grab her and go?" Vernal shook her head sadly. "I might as well just slit your throat now, save Saph the trouble of watching you die."

Jaune grit his teeth, trying his best to control his anger.

"She's leaving. With me." His tone left no room for argument.

All the threatening posture didn't unseat Vernal though, the girl having the audacity to chuckle, giving a small shrug.

"Okay."

The word brought a stopper to the rising aggression that Jaune was trying to summon in preparations to attack the girl. She was going to mop the floor with him, there was no doubt about that, but he was going to get his few licks in before than though, except that she just agreed with him?

What was going on right now?

A presence behind him made Jaune spin, holding the dagger out, almost hitting Saphron's smiling face.

"Hey there, Jaune."

He almost dropped his knife right then and there.

It hadn't even been three weeks, but it felt like years as Jaune jumped forward, wrapping his arms around his sister, burying himself into her shoulder.

"Oh, hey there, calm down." Saphron let out a little giggle, stroking Jaune's hair. "Gosh, you've grown a couple inches while you were away, weren't you? Just a few more days and you'll probably be taller than I am, you little rascal."

Jaune let out a wet chuckle, still too emotional to say anything.

Pulling him away, Saphron beamed a smile. "I'm so, so glad you're alive, Jaune."

The boy reigned in his tears, showing a toothy smile. "Me too, sis."

The two stayed in their little world for a little longer before Vernal decided to pop in, clearing her throat.

"So. As touching as this is to watch, I'm not really in the mood for throwing up my lunch today." Vernal drawled out, turning Jaune's attention back towards her. The sarcastic remark would've normally brought some anger out of him, but it didn't take much for him to put two and two together and realize that Vernal was the one that helped Saphron get back to him.

"Thanks." Jaune said, gratitude overflowing. Vernal just scrunched her nose up.

"Whatever." Vernal glanced back towards the camp. "You guys should hurry up and leave. It's not going to be much longer before Raven notices, and it won't be pretty when she does."

Saphron nodded, pulling Vernal in briefly to whisper something to her, making the other girl blush fiercely.

Ew.

"A-anyways," Vernal cleared her throat, doing her best to fight the bright blush on her face. "You guys should head to Argus. It's a little ways away, but with Atlas and Mistral forces working together, it's a pretty safe place to settle down in."

Saphron nodded, a brief grin lighting up her face. "Yeah. I know. You've told me this a million times already, Vernal."

The girl's face flashed in between amused and annoyed. "Well it doesn't hurt to hear again one more time, then."

Thunder ripped through the air, the light clouds of what was a sunny day turning into somehting more sinister. Vernal glanced up at the sky nervously.

"That's my cue. Go." She pushed the two of them away.

Jaune hopped up, ready to leave before spotting Saphron's face. It was a complicated, messy expression that she was showing. There were things that she wanted to say, but couldn't find the right words to do so. Vernal looked back, seeing Saphron, her own expression faltering.

"Go!"

Jaune and Saphron took off through the trees, leaving Vernal standing alone, the winds of the storm picking up.

Lightning flashed, striking the middle of the camp.

* * *

 **A/N: And so ends the first very long arc. Hope you guys enjoy it. The next arc is going to be... interesting, for sure.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Well. This was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. Oh well. I guess a new arc deserves a little longer of a chapter.**

* * *

"And welcome back ladies and gentlemen, to the twentieth annual Argus tournament!"

Cheers echoed across the small stadium as the announcer spoke, vibrating the little box TV that hooked precariously above Saphron's head.

Saphron let a rag glide over a spill on the bar, a tight smile on her face as she nodded at the loud and obnoxious order that a customer half shouted towards her.

With the weekend just starting, and a sort of major event happening in the city of Argus, Pearls and Swine was booming with business, something that Saphron both thanked and cursed. The tips were plentiful, but the rude customers were just as strife, her pounding head only making things worse.

Sliding back towards the center of the bar, Saphron grabbed a cup from underneath the table, popping the lid open and taking a sip, humming in appreciation as the caffeine oozed through her body. As of now, it was the only thing that was preventing her from a total meltdown in which she snapped and grabbed the nearest chair to slam into the drunkest customer.

The things she would do without caffeine.

"I didn't realize bartenders could drink on the job here." A voice called out, cutting through Saphron's slightly murderous thoughts, bringing her attention to a casually dressed woman, a small smile on her face as she climbed onto one of the bar stools. Saphron lifted her cup, letting the steam rise out of it a little.

"It's just coffee," Saphron gave a grin. "Unfortunately, the owner isn't really one for breaking the law and whatnot, so you're safe there."

"Safe?" The woman asked, raising an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're a mean drunk now." Saphron let out a harsh laugh, her teeth flashing as she did so.

"Trust me, the less one sees of me drunk, the better."

The woman hummed thoughtfully, eyes peering over her glasses. "I'll just have to take your word for it, I suppose." Saphron gave a nod, leaning over the bar.

"So then, I'm sure you're not here just to chat with an overworked bartender. Is there anything I can get you?"

"You're right I guess," the woman answered back, pursing her lips for a second before deciding on a stout draft. "Although the bartender is a definite plus in my books." Saphron fumbled briefly, dropping the lien that the woman just handed to her onto the table, hastily gathering it up to try and hide the slight blush on her face. While it was incredibly often for men to hit on her, it was generally few and far in between when someone of her preferred gender did so.

Sliding a coaster in front of the woman, Saphron placed the glass on top, the dark-haired woman thanking her as she did so.

"Is there anything else I could do for you?" The rigid tone didn't go unnoticed by the woman. Letting out a small sigh, the woman apologized.

"I'm sorry, I'm sure you get this enough from the other people around here." The woman took a sip of her beer, glancing away from Saphron, a whole different look from the confident flirting that seemed to happen just a few seconds ago.

Saphron hesitated for a second, before letting the stiffness fade, a smile reappearing back on her face. "It's alright. It just caught me off guard a little, is all. It's not every day that... you know." Saphron gestured uselessly, trying to find a way to phrase the words right. The woman raised an eyebrow, taking it the wrong way.

"I'm not your type. Gotcha," before raising the beer to her lips.

"No, that's not it," Saphron rushed to correct the other woman. "You actually _are_ my type. It's just, you know, not that often that it really comes up?" Saphron phrased it like a question, getting a nod from the spectacled woman. "It just threw me off for a second though. But you are my type." Was this how she was supposed to act as a bartender though? Would this be considered unprofessional. Unable to help herself, Saphron let her eyes drop and rise.

Very much her type.

"I'm Terra, by the way." The woman held out a hand, Saphron gripping it after a moment's thought. She wasn't really fond of shaking hands with strangers while on the job, what with the things that she or they were handling. But Terra didn't seem as... grimy as most others that tried to introduce themselves to her.

"Saphron." She said, gesturing to the name tag. "Although that's pretty obvious, isn't it?" She let out a nervous laugh. Oh god, what was happening right now.

Terra didn't seem to mind. In fact, she seemed amused by the flustered way Saphron was bumbling through the conversation.

"So, I don't think I've seen you around here very often. New?"

Saphron nodded, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "Yeah. I needed to pick up a weekend job. Help pay the bills, you know."

"Argus is expensive living, that's for sure." Terra said, shaking her head slightly. And wasn't that the truth.

Even the modest (Jaune would call it cramped) one bedroom apartment that Saphron was renting demanded astronomical prices, and that didn't even include the power or food or water. She hadn't thought about how difficult it was to get all of this stuff into a city that wasn't the capital until she started having to pay for it.

At least Jaune was finally old enough to start working part-time. Saphron felt so guilty when Jaune told her that he was applying at a nearby general store, but it wasn't like she could say no to that. They were living paycheck to paycheck as it was, and Jaune knew it.

The guilt was definitely a part of why Saphron decided to pick up this third job.

Still trying to get used to the schedule sucked, and Saphron couldn't remember the last time that she had a decent night's rest, but the check that she received after her first weekend helped her power through, headache withstanding.

"Tell me about it," Saphron mumbled, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "I can't remember the last time I took an actual day off," She admitted, rubbing the backs of her shoulders. "And I always seem to be sore all the time." She let out a breath, closing her eyes as she took another sip of her coffee.

Jaune, sleep, and coffee. The three things that she loved absolutely in her life.

"Well, maybe that's what you need then." Saphron opened her eyes to find Terra plucking at the edge of her beer coaster. After a while, she finally summoned up the courage to continue speaking. "You know, I happen to frequent a spa and relaxation center nearby. It's get amazing service, and the messages are to die for. Maybe, if you aren't too busy one of these days, I could bring you there? My treat," Terra's forced casual was almost as bad as Saphron's attempt to stop blushing, which was saying something, considering that her normally pale face was almost glowing red. Unsure of what to say, Saphron decided to blurt the first thing that came to her mind, because surely, _that_ was the way to impress the woman.

"I usually wait until the second date before getting naked."

Terra's eyes widened about as quickly as Saphron's did, although the laugh that left her convinced Saphron that today wouldn't be the day that she decided to just melt into a puddle of embarrassment.

"Well, we can do a rain check on that then." Terra offered, covering the last of her laughter with a hand. "Maybe we can just catch a bite to eat sometime then?"

Saphron's mouth clicked shut, her mind willing herself not to say something idiotic again. Instead, she let her lips widen into a smile.

"I would like that."

Terra lit up at that, leaning over to scribble something on a napkin. Saphron took it when she handed it over, glancing at the series of numbers.

"My scroll number." Terra said. "Maybe send me a call when you're free? I'm always a little busy during the weekdays, but maybe sometime during the weekend, maybe?"

Saphron stashed the napkin in her pocket.

"That would be nice."

"Well, then," Terra said, finishing up her draft and standing up. "I got to go, but I see you around?"

Saphron nodded. "Definitely."

There was one last smile before she parted, Saphron's gaze lingering for a second before a man shouted for another drink, driving her into a whirlwind of business for the next few hours. Finally though, Saphron's boss let her have a break, rolling up his sleeves as he dove in, covering for her for the next fifteen minutes or so.

Finding a quiet corner, Saphron opened up her scroll, dialing a well used number.

It took a little longer than usual for Jaune to pick up, but pick up he did.

He remembered the last time he didn't pick up Saphron's call, after all.

"Hey, uh, Saph!" There was a loud slam of something shutting as Jaune picked up. Saphron frowned a little.

"Hey Jaune... are you, uh, busy or something?" Saphron checked the time. "Aren't you supposed to be getting out of work around now?"

"Uhm." Some interference caused Saphron to pull the scroll away from herself. "Actually, the boss asked me to stay for a little while longer."

"A little while longer?" Saphron repeated, worry pooling up. "How much longer?"

"Uh." Static played for a little bit... or was that something else? "A couple more hours?"

"A couple more—what? Jaune that's not 'a little while longer'. That's a lot of a while longer." Saphron frowned. "Let me talk to him."

"No!" Saphron recoiled at how vehement Jaune sounded. "Actually, uh, he's really busy right now. We're really busy right now. Come on Saph, it's the weekend, and you know we need the money."

"It's not the money that I'm worried about," Saphron bit her lip. "I just don't want you out so late."

Jaune laughed at the idea. "Why, you'd think someone would try and mess with me or something? I'd like to see them try, Saph."

"That's not what I meant," Saphron rolled her eyes, knowing how silly it would be for her to worry about his physical welfare. "I just don't want you out so late. And I panic when I'm home and you're not."

"Oh come on Saph," Jaune said again, and Saphron could hear the edges of exasperation in his voice. "You won't be home until way later, and it's better than just sitting at home doing nothing."

"You _could_ be doing your homework. Or cleaning the apartment." Saphron challenged, not willing to let this go just yet.

"Because cleaning the apartment is going to take any longer than half an hour," the sarcasm in Jaune's voice was palpable, and Saphron would scold him for it, if it wasn't completely true. "And I... I'd rather you be with me when I do my homework. I'm a little confused at some of it." The last parts were said quietly, making Saphron's heartstrings pull just a little. Saphron tried her best to give Jaune a decent education while they were back at the Branwen camp, but it was obvious how much he missed once he enrolled in one of the schools. Saphron decided to let Jaune win this one.

"Fine. Don't overwork yourself, alright? And if you're going to be there longer, ask the boss if you can have another break later. And if you're hungry, don't be afraid to—"

"Okay, okay, I think I got it." Jaune interrupted, laughing a little. He couldn't help the fondness in his voice afterwards. Saphron only did this because she cared. "Anything else that I need to know, sis?"

"Call me when you get off," Saphron chewed on her lower lip, glancing at her watch. It was almost time for her break to be over, and she could tell that business was only going to get busier. "It doesn't matter when you get off, I just need you to at least try to call me, okay?"

"Yes, mom," Jaune drawled out, stopping as words floated around him. It was faint, maybe something being said over the speakers. "Alright, I've got to go, Saph. I'll call you later!"

"Okay, love you!"

"Love you too!"

The scroll closed with a click, Saphron staring at it in her hand. No, there wasn't any reason to worry. They've been safe for a while now, and Jaune could take care of himself. Making sure that her uniform was straight and tidy, she stowed the scroll in her pocket.

"And now, what you've all been waiting for, the finals!" The TV vibrated with the cheers of the audience. "Coming from the left side, ever the favorite, the undefeated..." Saphron tuned out the rest, sliding back behind a bar, before the last few words caught her attention.

"And amazingly, the rookie of the group, the dark horse of the whole competition, Johnny Thunder!"

Johnny? That sounded familiar, something Jaune talked about...

Saphron pushed out of the bar, ignoring the protests of one of the drunken patrons that was standing a little close to the entrance. Looking up at the TV screen, Saphron's stomach dropped to her feet.

She was going to kill Jaune.

* * *

"Now remember, just because he's an unknown doesn't mean he's no good. After all, he beat all of the other competitors, even the one you had a little bit of trouble with, what was her name—"

"I understand."

Pyrrha smiled politely as the coach flipped through another sheet, the woman chewing on the end of her pen.

"From what I've gathered, the competition," Because this coach refused to remember any names of anyone Pyrrha ever fought with, "wields two daggers, each about twelve inches long." Another page flip. "But he's got a few other knives on him. From the information gathered, he's got at least one on his right thigh, another on his left upper arm, and one, no wait, three throwing knives strapped to his left hip." The coach snorted derisively. "But they're all metal, so no worries there, eh?"

Pyrrha nodded politely, trying to find her mind space.

She was starting to lose count of how many of these competitions she'd been in. She was starting to lose the reason why she joined these in the first place.

Pyrrha looked forlornly out through the windows, watching all of the cheering fans. She should be happy. A lot of them were cheering for her. A small voice in the back of her head couldn't help but whisper malicious thoughts though. They weren't there for her. They were there for a winner. They'd abandon you the moment you lost a match.

She should be happy. Fan mail piled her desk at home, She'd gotten offers to all four of the academies already, and her Pumpkin Pete sponsorship just needed a signature, and she would have more money than any of her theoretical friends could dream of having.

She should be happy.

But she wasn't.

There wasn't any competition anymore, and _that_ was why she started going to these competitions. The rush, the joy of facing someone else who was also trying their best.

No one ever tried their best anymore.

Why would they, when they were facing the Invincible Girl herself?

They were happy enough with getting second, after all. First was just a pipe dream or something to shoot for with any tournaments that Pyrrha hadn't signed for.

Sometimes she would think about throwing a match.

But she was too much of a coward to face the fallout from that.

"Are you ready, champion?" The coach asked, snapping Pyrrha out from her depressing thoughts. Another thing the coach insisted, always calling her 'champion'. Helped with the mindset, the coach said.

Pyrrha was going to have to talk to her mother about finding a different coach after this.

"I'm ready."

The coach beamed a proud smile, as if anything she had said would actually tip the scales in this fight. As if this Johnny Thunder would try his best, even though no one else has in the last six months.

"Go get 'em."

She nodded, standing up to fetch Milo and Akouo, striding out through the doors. Pyrrha'd been through this enough to part of tournaments that she didn't flinch at the almost solid force of the cheering above and around her.

Instead, Pyrrha just smiled politely, raising one hand to wave at the fans.

"And amazingly, the rookie of the group, the dark horse of the whole competition, Johnny Thunder!"

The intense roiling in her stomach settled, as it always did when she finally faced her opponent. Johnny Thunder.

His hair definitely matched his name, as bright blonde as it was. There wasn't much else that Pyrrha could make out though, his face covered by a flat, black mask, the only noticeable feature being the eye holes cut out of it, showing intense blue eyes. Matching black pants and a black shirt completed the ensemble. She could admit that it was a very intimidating look. But that wouldn't make her back down from the fight.

A man dressed in a very nice button-up shirt and a bowtie stood in between the two of them, reciting the rules that always preceded the fights. It was really done for legal reasons, and for anyone new that had just tuned into the broadcast and had never watched something like this. Johnny and Pyrrha stood opposite of each other, both of them holding their weapons loosely.

"Let's have a good fight," Pyrrha gave a small smile, hoping that there wouldn't be any hard feelings. Not that it really mattered. She'd been exposed to plenty enough hard feelings that brushing off his would only take a thought.

A flash of amusement crossed through his eyes. He twirled the two blades he was wielding, and Pyrrha could imagine the kind of look on Johnny's face.

"Winning's always good," He commented, right as the buzzer blasted for the beginning of the round to start.

Pyrrha's eyes widened, bringing Akouo up just in time for one of Johnny's throwing knives to spark off of the edge, sending it away from her face. Fast, Pyrrha thought, thrusting out Milo as Johnny rushed in, staving off of the charge for long enough to settle into a more solid stance, continuing to thrust the tip of her javelin towards Johnny, who would either dodge or deflect the blade by crossing his blades together for extra leverage.

Really fast!

Pyrrha was only able to see his off-hand blur before another knife came hurtling towards her, forcing her to bring her shield up to block it, cutting her vision away. If it wasn't for the fact that Johnny was carrying so much metal on him, Pyrrha would've been caught on the back foot, blind for just long enough for the blond to take advantage of the fact.

Instead, almost out of reflex, Pyrrha traced Johnny's trajectory in her mind, the Milo thrusting where he should be, a small thrill racing through her when she heard an audible grunt, pulling her shield down to see him back away, Aura flaring for a second.

Deciding to go on the offensive, Pyrrha decided to return his barb, charging forwards, shield covering move of her body, Milo whistling as it cut through the air towards Johnny, who was wise enough to sidestep the attack, trying to get into a more favorable range with his knives. Pyrrha shifted Milo into a sword as he did so, cutting down and forcing him to block the forceful attack head on, something Pyrrha could see he wasn't as comfortable doing.

The next attack lost all pretense of being a probing attack, turning instead into three devastating overhead blows, the first one blocked hastily, the second glancing off of the mask, knocking it off center, the last missing completely as Johnny backpedaled hurriedly, face towards the ground as the mask shifted almost completely off of his face.

Pyrrha took the moment to recover herself, falling into a defensive stance as she let him fix the mask, seeing a brief grin before it was hidden again. He was enjoying himself, Pyrrha thought to herself.

And she... well.

Maybe she was too.

For the first time in what felt like a long time, someone was trying their hardest to best Pyrrha. And it would be absolutely remiss of her not to try just as hard, Pyrrha thought to herself, lowering herself into another crouch, legs tensed as she exploded forwards.

Another knife aimed at her face. Not falling for the same trick, Pyrrha arced her wrist, Milo curving in the air, knocking the knife away. Johnny didn't seem to be done either, tossing another two towards her.

Definitely didn't have just three throwing knives, that's for sure.

She dodged both with the aid of her semblance, continuing to move forward as she did so. She could've stayed back and shifted Milo into rifle form, but...

Not yet.

Johnny surprised her, rushing head on to meet Pyrrha, knives flashing forwards, stopping Pyrrha's assault before it could truly begin. She might have the longer reach, but he moved quickly, knives striking and withdrawing like a King Taijitu, taking all of her concentration to block.

She could try and attack again, but that meant letting Johnny take advantage of any openings she presented as she did so. A single sword stroke from her would probably damage his Aura quite a bit, but Pyrrha wasn't overly keen to see how many times Johnny could land a hit on her during the moment she tried to attack.

She couldn't keep defending forever though, so she feinted forwards, Johnny diving forwards to take advantage of the supposed opening, only to find himself facing Akouo. It was a small miracle that he dodged the heavy slash Pyrrha delivered, almost bending backwards to duck underneath the attack.

The risky display of acrobatics was just enough to catch Pyrrha off guard. The second's opportunity was slight, but enough for Johnny to continue moving backwards, hands touching the ground as he lifted his boots, one of them meeting her chin.

"Unbelievable! The Invincible Girl, touched for the first time in almost a year!"

Pyrrha touched the bottom of her chin, surprised. That was unexpected. Nevertheless, something like that wasn't going to surprise her again.

Again they traded blows back and forth, Pyrrha simply overpowering her foe in a battle of exchanges, while Johnny managed to land a few hits through clever maneuvering, his fists, hands, knees landing when his blades missed.

It was impressive, how tenacious Johnny was. By the end of their fourth or fifth exchange, his bar trailing at around fifty percent, while hers was still floating a good seventy or so percent.

Both were breathing heavily though, deciding to separate for a little while to recover for a second.

Johnny was devious. Pyrrha had gathered that much, at least. She had lost count of how many things he had pulled out of his sleeve... and his belt... and his boots... and the inside of his shirt.

There were a lot of tricks.

But surely he was running low by now. Pyrrha could feel it. And she meant that literally, knowing he only had his main daggers, and two more throwing knives on his body. She wished Johnny wasn't wearing a mask though, getting a little frustrated at not being able to figure out what he was thinking. She knew that he was tired, but other than that...

Once again, they met each other with a clash.

Well, Pyrrha clashed against Johnny, who did his best without a shield, the daggers creating sparks as it slammed against Akouo. It should've been like getting hit by a truck, most people staggering backwards against the force of one of Pyrrha's shield slams.

Johnny seemed to want to stagger forwards, dropping one of his knives and leaning forwards, pulling the shield forcibly down, mask slamming into Pyrrha's nose. She took a step backwards, but Johnny's grip stopped her from falling any further, as he jerked Akouo towards him, stars exploding as he slammed his mask into her face _again_.

He would've done it a third time too, but Pyrrha let go of her shield, retreating further away, clutching her nose. The scrambling of her brains lasted longer than she would've liked, feeling Johnny close in and rake his dagger down her shoulder.

Reflexively, Pyrrha threw a hand out, ripping the knife out of Johnny's hand with her Semblance. Without missing a beat, he balled up his fist, slugging her across the face.

Raising her arms, she caught another blow across her forearm, before she used her Semblance to pull the rest of his knives off of him, disarming him, as well as pulling him off of her, giving her a chance to attack, finally at the appropriate distance for Milo. Completely disarmed, Pyrrha struck towards his neck, hoping that it would bring him down to red.

But instead, Johnny decided to raise a hand, catching the blade. His Aura sparked angrily, not appreciating his use of it as a shield. He pulled Milo forwards, kicking hard against Pyrrha's stomach, forcing her to let go of another piece of equipment. He spun it around, chucking it towards her. She caught it in midair, twisting Milo into a rifle, lining up the sights.

Just in time for _another_ knife to ping her on the temple, rocking her head backwards.

What?

How was that possible?

Pyrrha knew for a _fact_ that Johnny didn't have anything else metal on his person.

Was his semblance just grabbing knives from thin air?

No, that wasn't it either. Stretching the senses of her Semblance, she still couldn't find the knife that Johnny just threw at her.

Made out of a non-metal?

Who even _did_ that?

There was no more time for talking as Johnny closed in again, Pyrrha cursing the fact that she hadn't shifted Milo into a close range weapon yet. Regardless, the butt stock of Milo still hurt quite a bit, Pyrrha slamming it into Johnny's mask, a sharp crack echoing out, before being drowned out by the crowd's cheering.

Finally, the mask fell away completely, revealing...

Well, a boy.

There wasn't really anything defining about his face. Regular nose, regular mouth, a set of ears. There weren't any crazy scars, no burn marks. There weren't even any freckles.

The only thing that stood out to Pyrrha was his eyes, grim, flat, but amused, and the vicious but excited smile on his face.

Glancing at the screen, she found his Aura dipping towards thirty percent. Hers was a little lower than she would've wished, but still higher than his was, hovering around the mid forties.

Shifting Milo into a javelin, Pyrrha watched Johnny carefully. One well placed hit would bring him into the red, and finish the match.

And he had nothing else to defend himself with.

Probably.

Still, Pyrrha kept herself at a good distance, far enough that she was confident that she could deflect any oncoming projectiles, and could still react and close in or back away from any move Jaune would going to take.

Now, it was all a waiting game.

Johnny's eyes narrowed, seeming to come to the same conclusion. He didn't even try to retrieve any of his numerous knives, some laying close enough to his feet for him to scoop up. He knew it would take just long enough for Pyrrha to react, and that would end the match.

But he couldn't just stand there forever either. With how low his Aura was, the match would eventually time out, and Pyrrha would still be declared the winner.

And if he rushed in, it wouldn't take much for Pyrrha to keep at a distance with Milo's javelin form and either finish him off or bleed the rest of his Aura away.

Checkmate.

Now, all she had to do was wait, and let him come to her.

So obviously, Johnny turned around and ran away from her.

As surprising as that was, Pyrrha pushed away the disappointment as she shifted Milo, aiming down carefully and firing off a short, the rifle kicking against her shoulder as she sent the dust round flying. Johnny ducked when he heard the sound of the gun firing, but Pyrrha was relentless, already sending another three shots his way.

All of which pinged against her Akouo.

Johnny lowered the shield, keeping his vision clear as he moved towards Pyrrha, blocking another shot with Akouo.

It was clever, using her own tools against her, but it wouldn't save him. Borrowing a trick from his books, she aimed at his eyes, blinding him as he raised the shield, letting Pyrrha shift Milo, charging in.

Using his own tricks against him didn't work as well as she had hoped, Johnny pulling the shield down right as the bullet ricocheted off of it and seeing her advance.

He blocked the first strike, as well as the second, before stepping in, twisting his body and trying to strike Pyrrha across the temple with Akouo. She stopped it before it could get too close, which allowed Johnny to twist once again, sharp pain slamming through a chink in her breastplate. Still, it opened him up as well, and with one last hard shove with her Semblance, she bent Akouo back towards Johnny, striking him hard across the jaw, the arena buzzing loudly, signaling the match over.

"And there you have it, folks!" The announcer's voice slowly filtered in now that the adrenaline was slowly fading out of Pyrrha's system. "Not quite the final that we were all expecting, but at least the end results are clear! The Invincible Girl is still undefeated!"

The roar of the crowd was deafening, so Pyrrha tuned them out again, instead approaching Johnny and offering a hand.

He took the hand, rubbing the back of his head. Although the expression on his face was dampened, the smile on his face was still present.

"Good fight." And for once, she meant it. It was sloppy, and she didn't even mean her form. There wasn't any technique. It was like a street brawl.

And she loved it.

"Good fight." Johnny echoed. "You're one hell of a fighter, that's for sure."

Warmth spread through her chest. The compliment seemed genuine, which was different, and she really liked that.

"Thank you."

Johnny stepped away as the announcer approached Pyrrha, pushing the microphone towards her. Answers flowed out of her, her mask falling into place. The questions came in a rush, almost endless. It tested her usual never-ending patience, Pyrrha only wanting to exchange a few words with Johnny.

"Well, there you have it folks." The announcer finally spun around back towards the camera. Pyrrha tried her best to ignore the urge to leave right now. "Our ever present Champion, defending her title once again! We'll see you all next year!"

Another handful of words that Pyrrha couldn't remember were exchanged before she introduced her manager to the man, letting them bore each other with details while she headed towards the locker rooms, not thinking as she pushed the door open.

"Whoa!"

Pyrrha yelped, flushing red as she saw Johnny pull his pants back up hurriedly, blue eyes wide.

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha spun around, facing away from the boy. Johnny cursed, his foot snagging onto something inside the pants, falling onto the ground with a crash, turning Pyrrha around again in concern.

"Don't look!"

"Okay!" Pyrrha even covered her face with her hands as extra insurance.

So she stood there, waiting for Johnny to finish getting dressed, listening guiltily as he did so.

"I'm decent now." Johnny's voice was soft, a tone of inquisitiveness to it. Pyrrha lowered her hands slowly, spinning a half circle before opening her eyes one at a time.

Johnny wore a green vest, embroidered with a store logo, along with a pair of dark khakis.

He looked so... normal.

"Sorry I don't look as crazy as every other Huntsmen-to-be then," Johnny said, rolling his eyes. Once again Pyrrha flushed, not realizing that she had said that out loud.

"I-I'm sorry." She apologized, hands clasped behind her back. "I just wanted to c-congratulate you." Johnny raised an eyebrow.

"For losing to you?"

"No! That's not what I meant."

"So you're congratulating me for getting second place then?" He tilted his head in question, unsure of whether or not he should be offended.

"That's not it either." Pyrrha bit her tongue, trying to find the right, or at least better words to express what she wanted to say. "I was really impressed by the way you fought. You don't fight like anyone I've ever seen."

Johnny paused for a second, before he gave her a little smile. "Thanks."

See? Was that so hard Pyrrha?

For someone who was used to public speaking, she always found it so difficult to express genuine emotions towards someone.

"Everything you did was so unexpected. You caught me off guard so often." She shook her head. "I never knew what to expect until the last second."

The boy shrugged, trying to be casual, even with the spark of pride that appeared in his eyes. "It didn't really matter in the end though. You still won."

"But it was close," she argued, taking a step forwards. "Do you know how long it's been—" she cut herself off, biting her lip. "It's been a very long time since I've enjoyed myself like that."

Johnny watched her carefully, his expression quiet.

"It was fun," he agreed, making Pyrrha's heart jump a little. "But close doesn't really count in a fight." His eyes flashed in amusement. "Close just means miss."

That was a dead end. "Did you bring the non-metal knives to fight me?" Pyrrha asked, eager to change the subject and keep some sort of conversation going. Johnny laughed, shaking his head.

"Think of it as a happy coincidence." He pulled out one of the knives, showing it to Pyrrha. It was a little flat and ugly looking, but she could tell it had a razor edge to it. Ceramic, she thought to herself. "I just carry a few of them around with me. Never know when you might need one is all." Jaune frowned a little, stowing the knife away with a twist of his wrists. "It's not very sturdy, but it'll cut through something at least once, that's for sure."

Pyrrha watched with fascination as Johnny continued to play with the knife, pulling it out again and twirling it before stowing it away.

"You have beautiful hands." Pyrrha blurted out, making Johnny drop the knife.

"W-what?"

"Nothing!" Pyrrha shook her head, trying to think of something—anything else to say. "What I, uh, meant to say was... why do you carry ceramic knives around?"

Johnny didn't seem to buy it, but looked just about as uncomfortable as Pyrrha felt, so he rolled with it, smiling mischievously.

"Metal detectors."

Metal detectors? That didn't sound very legal... Pyrrha opened her mouth to ask a follow up question, but was interrupted by a knock on the gym doors.

"Mr. Thunder? You have a visitor." The muffled voice floated through, Johnny frowning at the words.

"Visitor?" He muttered something to himself, scratching the top of his head. "Who is it?"

There was silence outside the hallways before the door opened up slowly.

"What do you mean, Johnny?" Pyrrha felt the sweet voice hit her spine, tingles crawling up and down as the voice echoed through the small locker room. "You didn't expect your sister to miss out on something like this now, would you?"

Pyrrha turned to look at Johnny, whose eyes were wide, his face pale as a ghost. For someone who she had never seen expression much of any emotion, the expression was incredibly disturbing to look at. She turned around to look at the woman who had spoke, finding herself just as frozen when she saw the intense look of pure murder on the woman's face.

"Well? Do you have something to say for yourself?" The woman demanded.

Johnny opened up his mouth, trying to find the right word to defend himself.

"Fuck."

* * *

 **A/N: Well. I think this is the first chapter that didn't have Jaune as a main perspective. I wonder what's up with that Johnny guy, huh?**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I really hope this word count isn't going to be consistently this long. I'm... not sure what I'm doing to be honest. Sigh. Oh well. Let me know what you guys think.**

* * *

"What were you thinking?!"

Jaune crossed his arms, setting his expression to stone as he looked out of the window of Saphron's car.

The two of them had gotten into the vehicle quietly, Jaune because he was trying his best to figure out a good way to not get murdered by Saphron, and Saphron trying her best not to make a scene.

All bets were off when the doors to the car shut though, Saphron instantly laying into Jaune.

"Saph..." Jaune tried for a gentler tone, hoping that it would in some way calm his sister down. It did not.

"Don't you fucking Saph me, young man!" Jaune winced as her voice rose higher and higher, heart sinking. He wasn't getting out of this one. "What have I told you? Every single day, every day, I tell you—what did I tell you?" The question was sudden, making Jaune jump. It was clear when she stopped speaking that she meant for him to answer. It was kind of unfair though, Jaune thought to himself. Why was it that she got to ask questions like that, and Jaune had to incriminate himself?

"But we needed the money—"

"Don't try to rationalize it," Saphron hissed, getting in Jaune's face. "Just because you get a little bloodthirsty doesn't mean you should be entering publicly broadcasted fights. Are you an idiot or do you just not think?"

"Neither!" Jaune backed away, throwing her heated glare back at her. "I didn't do it because I haven't fought in a while! You make me sound like an addict."

"Aren't you?" Saphron shook her head. "First you get in constant trouble for fighting in school, next you start getting into trouble for fighting out on the streets... I should've known that this was just the next step."

"Well what else am I supposed to do?!" Jaune roared, sick and tired of Saphron stabbing him with her barbed words. "You expect me to go from trying to survive every single fucking day to 'settling into school' and 'making friends'." Jaune jabbed himself in the chest with his thumb. "There are so many things that I had to do just to live, and you expect me to just shrug it all off and 'do my homework'?"

"No," Saphron yelled over Jaune, cutting him off. "But I expect you to at least try!"

"I HAVE!" Jaune slammed his fist into the already rickety table, one of the legs giving in with the force, papers spilling off of the table as it toppled. "But it's. so. hard." Jaune gripped his hair, turning away from Saphron.

"Math is impossible. The numbers barely make any sense." Jaune whispered, spinning around. "My teachers have told me to my face that I write like a ten year old." Tears spilled forward. "The only reason I even have a passing grade was because of those stupid history books that you made me read back then."

"How am I supposed to live like this?" He demanded.

"Would you rather be back at the camp then?" Saphron sprung back, crossing her arms. "Would you rather get beat half to death by Raven every single day then? Would you rather I constantly have to watch my back and make sure no one decides to—" Saphron cut herself off, continuing with her line of questioning. "I'm sure you would just love to go back on those raids and start killing innocent people again. Bet that'll sing to your blood."

Jaune grit his teeth, fists clenched to his side. "I don't want any of that." He said quietly, closing his eyes. "But what else am I good for?"

"You're asking the wrong question," Saphron scoffed, "It's not 'what am I good for', it's 'what can I be good at'?" Jaune rolled his eyes at the cheesy quote. "Don't roll your eyes at me. It's true. No one just starts off being good at something. Put some work into it, and things will change. It just takes time."

The soft voice that Saphron was using didn't help calm Jaune down at all. In fact, it only made the gnawing in his stomach worse.

"It's been three years already, Saphron. I don't think time's going to fix me being the school idiot."

"Not with that attitude you're not." Saphron pursed her lips. "No. You've never given this a chance. You've never tried at anything in school."

Jaune threw his hands up into the air. "Well, maybe it's because I've gotten used to having more life-threatening forms of motivation. It's kind of hard for me to take a bad grade seriously when it's just numbers."

"Sucks," Saphron spat out. "This is for your future. Or did you think that I like working all the time to pay for your schooling?"

"If you don't like it, then stop doing it!" Jaune mirrored Saphron, crossing his own arms. "I didn't ask for this, and I didn't ask for you to take all of these jobs to put me through something I'm not good at." Jaune bat his eyelashes, putting out a sneer. "Oh, don't worry Jaune, you'll just have to go through school and then we'll be normal again. Oh no, these remedial classes are for you, so that your future can be brighter. Oh, I know we're always low on money and I've been eating nothing but bread sandwiches for the last week, but I don't feel like you getting a part-time job is necessary, Jaune." Saphron glared at Jaune as he dropped the mocking tone. "That's seems totally fucking fair."

"Life isn't fucking fair," Saphron said in a low tone, eyes flashing dangerously. "Get used to it. You're not eighteen yet, so as of right now, I'm still your legal guardian. And while you're under this roof and I am providing for you, you will listen to what I have to say."

"That's the thing though," Jaune argued, surging forward again. "You say that all the time, but when I offer to try and pick up some of the slack, you refuse! And then you blame it on me?"

"That's not what we're talking about," She shouted, face slowly turning red.

"Well it's not like I'm the only one talking about things that don't make sense," Jaune shook his head. "But if you want to get back on the subject, then fine! Yes, I went behind your back to enter a public tournament! Maybe a part of me did it because I felt cooped up, fine! But," Jaune took a step forward, rifling through his pocket. "The first thought through my mind was about you! Look at you! You look like you're about to drop! If I did a few of these and made sure to disguise myself, you wouldn't have to put in eighty hour weeks just for us to get by!" He shoved the envelope that he pulled out into Saphron's hands. "Look at how much they paid me and tell me I'm wrong. And that's for _second place_. I had to do something, and it was fine as long as I was CAREFUL!"

"But you weren't." Saphron didn't raise her voice. She held onto the money tightly, but didn't bother looking at it. She kept her full attention turned to Jaune. "Do you really think changing your name and putting on a silly mask would be enough to hide yourself? You don't fight like any other kid, Jaune. You really think that no one from the tribe would even think about watching something like this and making the connection? And that didn't even account for this last fight." She moved her hand up to her face. "Your little clever disguise _fell off_ , Jaune. You think that wouldn't get noticed? You think that was fine, because you were being all subtle? You're sixteen, Jaune. Subtlety for you is thinking about what could be subtle and then kicking it into the ocean and doing literally the complete opposite."

"Grow. Up." Saphron punctuated each word, eyes boring into Jaune.

"And another thing." Saphron lifted the envelope and tore it in half, and again into quarters. "I would rather take another three jobs and keep us safe then have Raven back on our asses again." Saphron whispered the words, watching Jaune's wide eyes trace the falling scraps. "I'd rather die again then watch her take you back into that hell."

Jaune couldn't answer, the shock of Saphron doing something like that paralyzing him. She watched him for another moment before shaking her head in disgust, leaving the room and slamming the door to the bathroom shut.

Left alone, Jaune's anger was quick to dissipate, guilt flooding to take the place.

She was right about him being sloppy. There wasn't really a use wearing a mask if it was going to fall off during the broadcast. If that was the case, Jaune shouldn't have worn a mask at all. He sighed, slipping his fingers through his hair.

Still, most of his points were right. Sure, Saphron had her reasons for doing everything she did, but that didn't mean she had to shoulder the burden alone. Jaune could help. Jaune did help. Or should've, he thought, looking down at the torn check. The money would've been almost enough to pay for half a month's rent. Saphron had to have known that.

The fact that she tore it without a second thought?

Message received.

Jaune sighed again, heading to his bedroom. The only bedroom in the apartment, because they couldn't afford a two bedroom apartment. He went into the bedroom, while Saphron would have to lay on the mattress in the living room.

Yep, it's official.

He's an ass.

###

Jaune woke up to a scream.

Bolting upright, Jaune gripped the handle of his pillow knife tightly, vision slamming through his mind as the adrenaline started pumping, eyes darting back and forth in the dark room. Nothing.

After he made sure that he couldn't hear any breathing besides his, Jaune slid off his ratty covers, bare feet hitting the carpet. Opening the door as softly as he could, he found Saphron leaning over the kitchen sink, washing her face.

Jaune scanned the living room to make sure there wasn't anyone else in the apartment before he cracked the door wide enough to step through, approaching his sister.

"You alright, Saph?" Jaune asked softly, touching her shoulder. She stiffened to the touch, relaxing quickly and hiding a sniffle, turning to give him a watery smile.

"Yeah. Just a nightmare." She waved a hand. "Go back to sleep."

Jaune hesitated, watching her shaky movements. Her eyes were blotched and teary, barely countered by the brave smile on her face.

He was an absolute ass.

Saphron froze as arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a warm hug. A second passed before she returned it, leaning her head against Jaune's shoulder. He'd grown so tall in the last few years.

"I'm sorry."

It was the first apology that either of them uttered today, and it was several hours after the fight, but it was a start.

Saphron didn't say anything, leaning against Jaune, waiting to see if he would continue. Jaune pulled away, eyes dropping down towards Saphron's neck.

It had been around six years since that day, and the scar had faded out a lot due to the time. It was still noticeable though, and stretched wide across her neck like a grim smile. Jaune was so used to it that he'd practically forgotten about it, except in times like these. It was the reason why Saphron was so fond of scarves and turtlenecks in the winter, and high collar button-ups in the summer.

And she'd gotten it because of him.

"You're right. I was reckless," Jaune admitted, dropping his arms to his side. "I shouldn't have done something like that. It's just..." Jaune let out a breath. "It's just I feel so useless here. There's nothing for me to do to help you, and every day I see you struggling, I feel worse and worse. It just got to the point where any amount of rationalization was enough for me to do something stupid. I'm sorry." Jaune repeated.

This time Saphron was the one to initiate the hug, shaking her head against his chest.

"Now you know how I felt back when we were with the tribe," She said, her voice vibrating across his chest. "I always felt like I was never doing enough, and that everything seemed to always depend on you." Her blue eyes peeked out to look at Jaune. "But now I get it." Jaune made a questioning noise in the back of his throat. "You don't have to worry about me so much, Jaune. You're time protecting me is over. It's my turn now."

Jaune looked at Saphron, emotions playing out on his face. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. Being protected should've felt... bad, right? He didn't need to be protected. He had spent three years with Raven, almost dying over and over again, to make sure that he never needed anyone to protect him... right?

He wasn't sure if he could really agree with that thought when looking at Saphron's determined expression though.

Shoving the insidious thoughts into the back of his mind, Jaune smiled.

"Okay." He said softly, getting a brighter smile out of Saphron. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to be completely useless. I'm still going to do my part-time job. We need the lien." His tone brooked no argument, but there wasn't one to be found, Saphron agreeing with him.

"Fine. But no more fighting. I don't want us to push our luck, on the chance that Raven didn't see that broadcast."

That condition was a little harder for Jaune to agree on. It was the best way for someone like him to make money, after all. But... Saphron was right. It was too much of a risk. Who knew what Raven would do once she found them.

"Okay. But with the semester being over, I want to take more hours. It can't hurt."

"Okay."

The two of them stood there, arms wrapped in each other as they reminded themselves that they didn't need to do this alone. They would get through this together.

###

Saphron stared at the mirror nervously. She twisted her head back and forth, making sure that her hair was in order. Which it was... kind of. It was a little limper than she would've liked, but maybe it was her imagination.

She didn't have much make-up, and it had been so long since she even tried to put any on that she decided to look up tutorial videos on her scroll, deciding after the third try to go for a minimal look, rubbing the streetwalker makeup that she accidentally applied the second go around.

Then came another ten minutes of staring into the mirror, wishing that the bags under her eyes wouldn't be so pronounced. It didn't help that she hadn't been able to get much sleep in the past few days.

It had been about two weeks since the argument, and each day was filled with paranoia. Saphron jumped at shadows all the time, and barely interacted with anyone outside of work. And the nightmares.

Saphron let out a breath, trying to stave off the memories of the latest nightmare that she had.

She was helping no one like this, and it was frustrating. She was supposed to be stronger than this. She _was_ stronger than this. It was just...

Saphron inspected the gash on her neck, touching it gingerly with a finger before wrapping it up with a scarf.

For once, she was glad that it was wintertime.

Saphron thought back to the first time Jaune and her arrived at Argus. It had been so long since Vernal had cut her throat that she had forgotten all about it. After all, the tribe knew what had happened, and it wasn't like Saphron had gone very far away from the camp until they left for Argus.

She had been quickly reminded about her glaring scar when the first passerby did a double take after looking at her, eyes glued to Saphron's neck.

She was quick to cover it up after that.

"You look good."

Saphron turned, finding Jaune leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom.

"You don't need to butter me up, Jaune." Saphron turned her attention back towards the mirror, wishing that she had something to darken her lips a little. "I'm a mess," she sighed, her head dropping. Maybe she should cancel.

Warm hands touched her shoulders, kneading them slowly. Jaune always seemed to know exactly how to bring Saphron to a more stable mood. She didn't know what she would do without him.

Which was another reason why her nightmares could never see the light of day.

"You're beautiful, Saph." Jaune's voice was as warm as his hands, Saphron spotting the encouraging grin on his face as her head rose up. "I think I might have to make sure this lady friend of yours behaves properly after seeing you," he teased. Saphron swatted his hands away, laughing.

"I don't think that's something the younger brother needs to say."

"You're right," Jaune said grimly. "That's something every brother needs to say."

Saphron rolled her eyes, her attention turning back towards the mirror. She wasn't able to get more than a glimpse before Jaune slid in from of Saphron, breaking her line of view. "Alright, no more obsessing. You're fine. I've been waiting to use the bathroom for the last hour. Out."

She let herself be corralled out of the bathroom, Jaune reassuring her one last time that she looked fine before shutting the door, locking it, and the only mirror in the apartment away until he exited.

Saphron had a feeling that Jaune wasn't going to leave the bathroom until her, gulp, date came knocking.

Taking a deep breath to try and counteract her nerves, she tugged the light blue blouse straight, adjusting her glasses and making sure that she had on everything that she intended to have.

The knock on the door came sooner than Saphron was prepared for, making her jump, freezing on the spot. The paralysis held her long enough for a second round of knocks to come through, spurring her into action before Terra could form the wrong idea.

Saphron made sure to open the door as calmly as possible, emitting a practiced smile for the girl on the other side of the door.

"Hey, Terra."

Terra was wearing a blazer over a dark blue t-shirt, a small smile on her face as she brushed one of her locks away, tucking it behind an ear.

"Hey there, Saphron." The two of them exchanged a ginger hug, which definitely didn't help Saphron's butterflies.

That's where the conversation ended, really.

The two of them looked at each other, waiting for the other to speak while wondering if they should say something.

The bathroom door opened behind Saphron, Jaune strolling out casually, letting out a yawn.

"Oh, what's this? I didn't know you had company, Saph!" Jaune let out a gasp, breaking the tension between the two girls.

"You need to work on your acting skills, Jaune." She shot back towards her brother, crossing her arms. "Jaune, this is Terra Cotta. Terra, this is my idiot of a brother Jaune," She teased, getting an offended gasp out of him. Terra let out a chuckle, holding out her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Jaune. I've heard a lot about you."

"All horrible things, probably," Jaune grinned, shaking Terra's hand. "Most of them probably true," he admitted.

Terra let out a thoughtful hum. "From what I've heard, you're a talented boy with an understanding of dedication and hard work."

"Now I know you must be talking to a different sister," Jaune laughed, shaking his head. "I don't think Saphron knows how to compliment me."

Saphron decided to jump into the conversation, raising an eyebrow at Jaune. "That's laying it on a little thick, don't you think, Jaune?"

A couple more words were exchanged before Jaune looked at his worn-out watch, announcing that it was about time for the two of them to leave and let him have the apartment to himself.

"Oh and Terra?" Jaune called out, stopping them one more time. "I'd like her home before midnight, alright?" He was mostly joking, but the two inch blade that he seemed to have procure out of nowhere was enough of a message. Still though, Terra acted in good faith, giving in a salute and a quick 'yes, sir' that Saphron wasn't quick enough to stop.

"You didn't have to play along," Saphron said as the two of them approached the parking lot.

"It's alright," Terra said happily, "He's worried about his sister. It's cute."

"I-I guess it is," Saphron stuttered, unsure of what else to say.

The two of them chatted a little bit while they were in the car, Saphron asking where they would be heading for tonight, as what little they had planned beforehand was just a time, what to wear, and where Saphron lived so that Terra could pick her up.

"Oh, it's just someplace to eat. You like seafood, right?"

Not liking seafood wasn't really an option for Saphron. After living near a river for three years, that was one of her main ways of feeding herself, when it wasn't her trying to save some of her own cooking before the tribe would eat it all.

Knowing what they were going to be eating emptied out some of her apprehension. Eating was something Saphron was pretty comfortable with, as long as the place wasn't too... expensive...

Saphron's stomach coiled right back to where it was before when Terra pulled towards a parking lot, finding herself in front of a building that already sounded more expensive than she could afford.

"There... wouldn't be a smaller, homier restaurant in the back that we're going to, is there?" Saphron asked weakly, getting a blank stare from Terra.

"What?"

Saphron bit her lower lip, tearing her gaze away from the building. "Never mind. It looks like quite the, uh, place there."

She didn't know if Terra didn't pick up her hesitation or just ignored it, but the older woman nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, it's amazing here. Lots of fresh food, great service. One of my favorite places to eat, really."

"Oh..." Saphron couldn't think of what to say, the building looming over her as she stepped into its shadow, feeling tiny.

Entering the restaurant didn't help, the place looking well kept and well run, which wasn't something that Saphron would complain about. The carpets looked like they were cleaned regularly, and none of the servers looked like they hated their job.

It was kind of surreal, to be honest.

Still, Saphron followed Terra to a table, opening a menu and trying her best not to get a heart attack when she read the prices for the food.

Holy moly.

 _How_ much was the shrimp cocktail?

And Terra ate here regularly?

Saphron was beginning to feel a little out of her depth here.

Finding the cheapest thing on the menu, Saphron asked politely for a water before folding the menu away. Terra ordered a diet soda of some sorts and asked for an appetizer, something that Saphron could've sworn was more expensive than the entree that she was going to be getting.

A few minutes went by before the server placed their drinks down, asking if they were ready to order.

Making sure that Saphron was good, Terra ordered something that sounded like shrimp in pasta, but expensive, asking for a glass of wine as an accompaniment.

"And I'll, uh, have the house salad." Saphron could feel Terra's gaze on her. "With ranch, please," her voice falling quieter.

The waiter shuffled away, leaving the awkward silence between the two girls.

"That's an interesting choice for an entree," Terra said casually, eyes carefully watching Saphron. "I thought you liked seafood."

"I do..." Saphron said, not sure what that had to do with ordering a salad.

"I'm just surprised that you would order something with no seafood in it, is all," the remark sank a little close to home, Saphron's shoulders falling a little.

"Uh. I guess I was just in the mood for something lighter is all."

Terra hummed, Saphron unsure of what it meant.

"You know," Terra said quietly, brevity lost in her voice. "You don't have to worry about the prices. I'm paying. "

Saphron sat there, uncomfortable.

"I-I know. Thank you. Um. But I'm fine. Really," She squeaked.

The two ate in silence after that, conversation stilted and unsure as they tried to find a comfortable spot to latch onto.

The meal lasted far longer than Saphron could handle, and she had to try not to let out a sigh of relief when the server delivered the check.

The drive home was just as quiet.

Parking gently, Terra let go of the steering wheel, hands placed on her lap. Saphron sat there as well, not sure of what to do.

Should she hug her? Kiss her?

Hearty handshake?

Deciding to cut her losses, Saphron decided to just get out of the car, hand on the door handle before she heard a loud click of the doors locking.

She froze, every muscle tensing.

"Sorry," Terra said softly, Saphron spotting the wince as she turned around. "I just wanted to say something before you left and I wasn't sure how to get you to stop from leaving."

"Just saying something would've been fine." Saphron said stiffly, slowly relaxing. "Locking your doors isn't the best idea, to be honest."

Terra let out a self-deprecating laugh, scratching the top of her head. "I'm sorry."

"'S fine."

Terra pushed up her glasses, trying to gather her thoughts.

"First off, I just wanted to apologize." She began. "I wasn't thinking about you at all when I set up this date, and I ended up making you uncomfortable. That wasn't the intention." Closing her eyes, she let out a sad sigh. "This is kind of my first date in a while with a girl, and I was a little excited and jumped the gun."

Saphron nodded, the beating in her chest subsiding as Terra spoke. At least she knew and acknowledged what had happened. It was impressive, really.

"I...I like you, Saphron." Terra chewed on her lower lip, glancing away momentarily. "I think you're a cool girl, and you've got a cool head on your shoulders from what I've seen. I know this wasn't the best first date but... maybe you could call me?" Terra finished weakly, her smile just as soft.

Saphron sat there, stunned that Terra thought that way of her, let alone wanted to try again. Still...

There had been so much on her mind during the date, and that wasn't even counting everything that happened during the date.

"I... I'll think about it," Saphron allowed, running her hand through her hair. "It's just... this wasn't bad. I'm just... I don't have much," she admitted, although that wasn't a shocker to anyone sitting in the car. "and seeing someone spend that kind of money on me is kind of surreal. And I don't really know if I'm really ready for this, this stuff," Saphron gestured around her. "I've got a lot on my mind, and I don't know if I can really give you the full attention that you deserve at the moment. I'm sorry."

Terra nodded.

"I understand. If you change your mind... call me?"

"I will," Saphron said.

Watching the car pull away, Saphron dropping the mask, letting the frown show on her face.

It hadn't been the greatest date in the world, but at least Terra was trying, and willing to try again. What was Saphron so hung over about? She worked a lot of hours, but she could still find time for a date every once in a while. Jaune was sixteen now, and could generally take care of himself, when he wasn't being an idiot and entering publically broadcasted tournaments. And then there was...

No. There wasn't any reason to think of her right now.

Saphron locked the apartment door behind her, pulling the scarf off and throwing it on the couch, making a mental note to clean up later. Kicking off her shoes, Saphron paused, opening the door to Jaune's room and finding a lump under the covers. As quietly as she could, Saphron went up to the bed, sitting down gently and listening to Jaune's deep breathing as he slept.

"You do realize it's barely nine o'clock, right?"

The lump stopped breathing for a second before Jaune gingerly peeled the covered away from his face, his blue eyes almost glowing in the semi-dark room.

"I just didn't want to get in your way." Jaune shrugged. "There's only two reasons you're coming home so early from the date, and I wasn't sure I wanted to be involved in either two."

Saphron slapped his shoulder, rolling her eyes even though she knew he couldn't see it.

The two of them sat in comfortable silence for a while, Jaune playing with the edges of Saphron's hair while Saphron sat there with her eyes closed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jaune asked quietly. Saphron let her shoulders rise and drop slowly.

"Not much to talk about. It was... a date."

"Well don't overload me with details now." Jaune didn't bother ducking Saphron's hand, letting it smack him in the shoulder. "Come on, Saph. Details."

"Why do you want to know anyways?" Saphron asked gruffly, pulling up one of her knees and resting her chin against it. "Need something to hold over my head for the next few days?"

Jaune didn't bother dignifying that with a response, sitting up on the bed, wrapping his arms around her side.

"Come one," He repeated gently, "You'll feel better once you get it out."

His gentle tapping finally found her weak spot, the dam breaking loose. Saphron tried her best to deliver what had happened without bias, having to stop a few times to try and gather her thoughts. But Jaune was right. She did feel a little better.

Jaune sat there and listened attentively, giving her his full, undivided attention. Jaune was always a good listener, after all. It was a role that he feel into easily, having done it a hundred times before.

"So," Jaune said slowly, making sure that he had the full story. "At the end of the day, you guys went out to eat, you brought up that you were uncomfortable with going to such an expensive place, and she apologized and was hoping for a second chance." He paused. "Right?"

Saphron wasn't sure she liked how succinctly Jaune put her night together, but couldn't really find anything wrong with the summary. "Basically," She agreed.

He let out a small sound, expression thoughtful in the falling light that shaded the room.

"Are you going to call her?"

Saphron shrugged helplessly, one hand rubbing her arm. "I don't know. I don't think so." She bit her lip. "I—she's interesting. And I'm sure if I hadn't made things awkward, we would've had a decent conversation. But... there's just..."

"Vernal?" Jaune interjected, bringing Saphron springing off of the bed.

"What?" Saphron gaped, surprised by the sudden mention of the blue-eyed girl's name. "What gave you that idea?" She crossed her arms, glaring at her brother. "She has nothing to do with this."

Jaune raised an eyebrow, his expression saying otherwise, but he knew that trying to push on that subject wouldn't result in anything. If there was anyone more stubborn than him, it was his sister, that's for sure.

"Then what?" He prodded gently, turning her away from the touchy subject. Vernal let it happen, glad that she didn't have to open _that_ can of worms.

"I just—I don't think it would be fair to her. I work a ton, and any time I'm not I'm trying to make sure that we're alright," She gestured to the both of them. "And I don't think it's fair to her for me to try something serious."

Jaune didn't answer right away, eyes steady on her.

"I think you should give it another try."

Saphron blinked at that.

"What?"

"I think you should call her," Jaune repeated, swinging his feet off of the bed. "You know, I can take care of myself, right?"

"I didn't say anything about you," Saphron let out a weak excuse, knowing that she spoke too fast when Jaune made a sound of exasperation.

"Please. Don't think I don't know you, Saph." Jaune crossed his arms. "I know you want to do everything you can to make me happy, but do you really think I'm happy with watching you work yourself into an early grave?"

"Well—"

"The right answer is no, Saph," Jaune said, throwing his arms up. "Look, I understand how much you care about us. And I know that we're strapped on lien. We're _always_ strapped on lien. That's why I'm working this job. You didn't force me to," Jaune raised a hand, stopping Saphron from going into another guilt trip. "I wanted to. Because I want us to work this out." Jaune gave Saphron a grudging smile. "Besides the itch to bash some heads in, I really do like this version of normal. "

Saphron wasn't sure what to say to that.

"Do you like Terra?" There was the question that really mattered. Jaune knew that this was the answer that mattered the most, and watched Saphron play it through in her head.

Things were tough, but things could definitely get worse. That was why the two of them had to try their best to be on top of it. Sure, that meant that they both had to do things they hadn't ever planned of doing. But they did it so that they could find their version of normal.

Saphron nodded slowly, finding her answer. "Yeah," she whispered. "I think I do."

"Then go for it," Jaune shot back, smiling at his sister.

"What's the point of working so hard for this life if you're not going to live it?"

Saphron's eyes widened, before she let out a chuckle.

"Who the hell taught you to be so wise, Jaune?"

The blond boy grinned toothily. "Well, Raven sure as hell didn't." Saphron let out a snort of amusement.

"You're damn right about that one."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, I'm pretty sure this is the first chapter I've done for this story that didn't have any physical fighting. A lot of emotional fighting, sure, but hey, baby steps.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Ahh, back to normal pacing. I don't mind the longer word counts though, so maybe I'll sprinkle that in every once in a while. I will admit, this chapter was a bitch to write, so I'm glad I've gotten it out of the way. I hope you guys like it.**

* * *

Was this too creepy?

No, that couldn't be it, Pyrrha thought to herself, pacing back and forth inside of the alleyway. No, this was just a natural way to meet someone and introduce themselves. Right.

Oh god, she was the creepiest human being on Remnant, wasn't she?

Pyrrha had lost count of how many times her body had wanted to just dash home and leave this harebrained plan to the dust. But...

It had been almost a month since she fought Johnny Thunder, or Jaune Arc, as she found out after asking her coach. After that fight, her coach pulled her to the side to talk about her victories, as well as future participation in other tournaments. Like always, Pyrrha nodded listlessly, barely paying attention before Pyrrha decided to broach the topic.

"Do you know if the runner-up is joining any of the upcoming events?" She tried her best to hide her eagerness, something not too hard after so many years of putting on the practiced mask. The coach didn't notice or seem to care, brow creasing a little as she flipped through the pages.

"I don't really have a list of the other competitors with me, but I'm sure I can find out for you." There was a gleam in her eyes as the coach looked at Pyrrha. "Getting information for future face-offs, I see. Very clever, Champion."

Pyrrha smiled politely and excused herself, dropping the facade the moment the door closed.

It didn't take long for the coach to find out that Jaune had been using an alias, and it didn't take that much more digging to find out where he lived and worked.

That wasn't weird, right?

Strange or not, Pyrrha had somehow convinced herself to look up when Jaune got out of work, dressed up and put on a hat and some shades, and was now hanging out in the alleyway next to the general store.

Fiddling with the black hoodie that she was wearing, Pyrrha wished that she could've worn her armor instead. It put her at ease. Unfortunately, it was too much of a dead giveaway for her to be wearing on the streets of Argus, so she had to make do with the hoodie instead. It wasn't the worst thing to wear. Her sponsor had given it to her as a gift after her endorsement, and she had never really worn it until today.

"You have a good night as well, boss."

There. That voice sounded a little young and familiar. That must be Jaune.

Steeling herself once more, Pyrrha mapped out her plan in her head, striding forwards and meeting Jaune face to face. Quite literally, in fact, as they smacked into one another, the both of them going cross eyed at the sudden force, falling down off of their feet.

Aura definitely helped reduce injuries from the fall, the two of them landing in a heap.

"What the..." Jaune mumbled, rubbing his head. Pyrrha did the same, regretting the fact that she had to meet him forehead to forehead. Unfortunately, it was the only thing that she could think of at the time. Finally realizing that there was someone underneath of him, Jaune stood up, trying to figure out who it was.

A hand stuck out in front of Pyrrha, something she gladly took, Jaune lifting her up back onto her feet, Pyrrha letting out a noise of surprise at how casual Jaune's strength was.

That was nice. Real nice.

"Ahem."

Pyrrha snapped out of her thoughts with a blush, taking a step back to find Jaune raising an eyebrow in question.

"I'm sorry!" She apologized meekly, eyes glancing down towards the ground. Her gaze flitted up quickly, catching Jaune's sheepish look.

"No, I'm sorry. That's what happens when I don't look, you know," Jaune let out a laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "I hope you're alright." Pyrrha nodded, smiling reassuringly.

The two of them stood staring at the other for an awkward second, one seeing if there was anything else he needed to say, and the other trying her hardest to find something else to say.

"Well," Jaune said haltingly, not sure what else to do, "Sorry again," He pasted his retail worker smile and started to walk away. "I hope you have a nice night."

"Wait!" Pyrrha froze as the word slipped out, unsure of what to say next. She just knew that she couldn't let Jaune leave. She didn't know when she would see him again. Well, actually, he was going to work the same shift tomorrow, but Pyrrha was pretty sure that it would only get exponentially creepier if they bumped into each other in the exact same way two days in a row.

So she made an executive decision, but was now faced with the conundrum of trying to figure out how to follow up. Jaune stood there patiently, unsure on what the red-headed girl wanted.

"D-do I know you from somewhere?" Pyrrha stuttered, cursing to herself at such a weak question. She might as well have just latched onto the blond's leg and begged him not to leave her. "I-I mean, aren't you Johnny Thunder?" That was a little better. "We fought a couple weeks ago..." She trailed, wishing that she had just retreated at the beginning and thought of another way to talk with Jaune. Maybe something consisting of a twelve point plan.

"Yeah, I remember now," Jaune smacked the palm of his hand with his fist, eyes shining. "Pyra, right?"

"Pyrrha, actually," she corrected, heart soaring. He didn't know who she was. He didn't know who she was. Quietly, and only to herself, Pyrrha squealed in happiness. "You must be Jau- Johnny," she almost bit her tongue catching her mistake, but Jaune didn't seem to notice.

"Yeah. Well, it's Jaune actually. Johnny's actually an alias."

"Oh, I see," Pyrrha didn't have to try hard to feign interest. She actually had to dial down the enthusiasm, knowing that she didn't want to come off as crazy. Because she wasn't. "Do you happen to participate in a lot of those kind of tournaments? I mean, I've heard that you usually take on another name after several tournaments."

Jaune shrugged, expression a little uncomfortable. "Not really. I'm just not really into the publicity thing."

"Oh," Pyrrha said, hands behind her back. "I can get that. It can be pretty annoying. Or so I've heard," she added hurriedly.

"Yeah," Jaune murmured, eyes glancing away for a second. He's losing interest, Pyrrha thought to herself in panic.

"So, where did you learn how to fight? You're quite amazing, and it's unlike anything I've ever faced off against."

Jaune squirmed at the unexpected compliment, unsure of what to say back. "Uh, thanks?" He scratched his head again. "I really like your fighting style too. It's so technical compared to mine." He let out a laugh. "I'd love to learn how to fight like you."

"Well, you can!" Pyrrha blurted out, latching on. "I mean, it's not too hard, especially because you have such a solid foundation already. I can definitely show you some moves whenever you have the time." Pyrrha tried hard to ignore how that sounded, hoping that Jaune wouldn't pick up on it either. It didn't seem like he did, instead looking hesitant, backing away.

"I-I can't really afford to pay for a tutor..."

"No money." Pyrrha said, holding up her hands. "Just a friendly session. If—if that's alright with you?"

Jaune stared at her, his expression set as thoughts rolled through his mind. Pyrrha didn't know what he was thinking, and whether or not it was a good thing that he was thinking so hard about such an innocent offer.

Wait, he didn't think she was hitting on her, was he? That wasn't what Pyrrha wanted to get across, at least until she was sure that Jaune was interested in her too. Finally, Jaune spoke.

"Uh. Yeah." Jaune shrugged. "I mean, if you're really cool with it, I'd love to get some pointers from you."

"Great! Maybe tomorrow then?"

Jaune blinked slowly at the sudden enthusiasm. "Well, I actually work for the rest of the week."

"O-oh."

"But I guess I would be free Saturday afternoon if you're up for it."

"This Saturday?" Pyrrha asked, getting a nod from Jaune. "That sounds grand."

"Cool," Jaune put two thumbs up, flashing a smile.

The two of them exchanged scroll numbers before Jaune headed off, calling Saphron as he did so. Pyrrha on the other hand stared at the numbers saved on her scroll, warmth suffusing her. She couldn't remember the last time that she made a new friend. It was an exhilarating feeling, a smile twitching on the edges of her face. A new friend made, and all it took was a quick chat.

And she managed to hide her feelings so well, too.

* * *

"No, everything's fine, it just never hurts to be careful." Jaune said, waiting for the long sigh to subside. "Yes, I promise I'll be fine, Saph. Raven was a bitch, but she definitely knew what she was doing." Parting with a quick goodbye, Jaune closed his scroll, peering down the edge of the building that he was standing on.

Even with the myriad of fashion styles and crazy hair, Pyrrha's flaming locks were pretty easy to track down.

Gathering himself, Jaune leaped to the next rooftop, making sure that he kept track of the turns that Pyrrha went through. The girl had acted way too suspicious for Jaune's liking. Something was strange about her, although Jaune couldn't quite put his finger on it. The stilted conversation, the nervous stammering, the fidgety posture...

It didn't make any sense for a champion fighter to look like that when talking with somebody like him. Everything pointed to one logical conclusion.

She had to be a spy for Raven.

What else made sense? She must be a perfect social chameleon, putting on such a mask of nervousness and shyness. If it wasn't for Jaune's genius leap of logic, he would've been wholly convinced that she was just uncomfortable talking to him. But that didn't make any sense. Jaune had seen her have conversations with multiple adults, calm as a cucumber.

Jaune twirled a knife around on his fingers, wondering if he could drop down and incapacitate her faster than she could pull up her Aura. Shaking his head to himself, he slid the blade back into its sheath. She was a champion fighter. There was no way that she wouldn't feel him coming and intercept it, and at that point, it would devolve into kill or be killed.

No, he'd rather pretend that he bought the act and go along with what Pyrrha had planned for now. Raven had beaten patience into his head, and he would use it against her.

Jaune snorted at the scene below him, watching as Pyrrha once again politely greeted a fan, interacting with them like the perfect human being that she was.

Pyrrha was definitely good.

Jaune wasn't sure how Raven had been able to get to someone like Pyrrha, but it did make sense that Jaune wasn't the only one that she must've trained. Maybe she was trying to build an army of teenagers, making sure that she had someone for any occasion that would rise up against her.

Finally, Pyrrha disentangled herself from the fan and left them with a quick autograph, walking away hurriedly and rounding a corner, before quickly sprinting and losing the crowd that had formed to try and speak with her.

Jaune had to focus on tailing her when that happened, impressed by the speed she could run in heels.

He had seen Saphron walk in high heels, and he was still traumatized by the damage that she had caused.

A shadow flew over him while he was distracted, making him curse.

Of course there was backup. There was always backup.

Jaune pulled out a knife, muttering to himself about how rusty he had gotten as he faced down the opponent.

The woman pushed up her glasses, stern look on her face.

"Is there a reason that you're following the champion around on the rooftops, young man? You're tenacity is admirable, but I'm afraid that she isn't really in the mood to entertain potential stalkers."

Jaune bared his teeth, falling into a low crouch.

"I don't know what you're talking about," He said, twirling one of the knives. "but if you think it's going to be easy to take me down, then you're sadly mistaken."

The woman frowned at that, shaking her head. "I don't know what I'm more disappointed by, the fact that you're such a sore loser that you would try and assault the champion on the streets, or if you think a flimsy excuse and a challenge to a fight would clear you of suspicion."

She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a scroll, opening it. Jaune didn't waste a second, knowing that it would only take a single button press for her reinforcements to come crashing down on him.

By the time the woman had lifted the phone halfway to her ear, the knife left Jaune's hand, tumbling through the air and hitting the scroll, flinging it out of her hand. Jaune didn't waste any time, several steps taken towards the woman the moment he threw the knife, ready to disembowel the woman.

She shifted her weight, pulling out a large... pitchfork?

Jaune wasn't sure what that was going to do, but he flared up his Aura in preparation to tank the hit, happy to exchange blows with the woman as his knife fell towards the face, her weapon prodding him in the abdomen.

And then he woke up surrounded by prison bars.

Disorientation lasted for another second before Jaune struggled up to his knees, trying to figure out what happened. How the hell did that woman knock him out so quickly? His Aura should've protected him from the attack, unless...

Jaune groaned, letting his forehead smack against the bars.

"Well, looks like he's finally awake."

Jaune looked up to see a man dressed in blue, glasses covering his face. His face and crossed arms gave him a stern demeanor, as well as the... badge... on his...

"This isn't the Branwen camp." Jaune said slowly, twisting his body left and right. In fact, if he didn't know any better, he would've said that he was in one of Argus's detention centers. But that can't be right.

Why would Raven want him in jail?

"Unfortunately, you seem to have made the wrong turn," The cop said sarcastically, "Camp was right. You took a left."

The sarcasm wasn't lost onto Jaune, but it didn't help clarify anything either. "Why am I here?"

"Well," The cop shifted position, starting to count on his fingers. "You were stalking someone. You attempted to assault a woman. And you were trespassing on rooftops." The cop waggled the last finger. "That's a serious one, bud."

This was nuts. Did Raven plan this out? Or was this just a happy coincidence? Or... or...

Jaune groaned.

"Raven had nothing to do with this, did she?" Jaune mumbled, more to himself than to the cop. The other man didn't answer, simply shaking his head, disappointed.

"Look, I don't know what possessed you to do all of that, but count yourself lucky that no one decided to press charges. We did call your guardian though, and she didn't sound too happy." What little hope sparked up at the first sentence died at the second. Jaune covered his face with his hands, not even attempting to cover up the sound of despair that left him.

He was screwed.

"Well, judging from your reaction, I can say that's punishment enough." The officer twirled a key around his finger as he whistled away, "try not to do something stupid like that again, yeah?"

Maybe Jaune could slip through the bars to escape before Saphron got her hands on him. He got as far as standing up and putting his hands on the bars, seriously contemplating on breaking out before Pyrrha stepped through the door, flashing a smile towards the police officer that was holding the door out for her. As soon as the door closed, she turned to face Jaune, an expression of concern on her face.

"Are you alright?" Pyrrha asked softly, making Jaune snort. This day seemed to be getting weirder and weirder, and Jaune was getting really tired of it. He sat back down on the bench, knowing that the redhead wouldn't react very well with Jaune trying to pry the bars open.

"I'm... fine."

"Oh." Pyrrha clasped both her hands in front of herself, watching Jaune carefully. "That's... good."

"Yep." Jaune popped the end of the word, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. Neither spoke, both unsure of what to say, or whether or not a conversation would be a good idea.

Finally, someone gathered the courage to speak.

"Why did you try and follow me?"

Jaune opened up one of his eyes, looking at the nervous girl. Was she bipolar or something? How could she be so confident and charismatic for one second, then turn into this?

"I'm... not sure how to explain it." Jaune shrugged, sitting up a little straighter. His eyes narrowed. "You don't know anyone by the name of Raven, do you?" He watched her carefully.

Pyrrha's eyebrows scrunched together, Jaune able to tell that she was seriously thinking about the question.

"I—I don't think so," Pyrrha said honestly, or as honestly as Jaune could see, "was she someone I've met before? I'm sorry, but I have a hard time remember all the names. Was it someone I've fought before? Could you describe her physical features to me, maybe?"

Jaune stared a little longer, before uncrossing his arms. Pyrrha wasn't part of some grand conspiracy led by Raven. Either that, or Pyrrha really _was_ a master actress. But Jaune couldn't keep driving himself insane second guessing himself. So, he decided that she was alright, weirdness notwithstanding. He still didn't understand why she acted so strangely, but it wasn't because of anything to do with his past, that much he was sure of.

"I'm sorry," Jaune finally spoke, startling Pyrrha. "I—well, me and my sister haven't always been in very safe environments. I guess that carried over a little too hard. I assumed some things that I probably shouldn't have assumed."

Jaune palmed his face, letting out a baleful sigh. "I'm a moron."

When he looked up again, he found Pyrrha with a small smile on her face. "It's alright. I can understand that. I'm sorry to hear about what happened to you before."

"It's the past," Jaune said, as if that explained everything. Maybe it did, because it got her to laugh.

"Well consider this in the past as well." She hesitated for a second, biting her lip slightly. "I hope that we can still meet up for a friendly spar sometime? I do mean what I've said before."

Jaune smiled, relieved that there didn't seem to be any hard feelings. "Yeah. I'd love to."

"Great!" Pyrrha perked up, jumping as the door to the room slammed open. Jaune paled as he saw the death approach.

"Damn it."

* * *

 **A/N: I hope I didn't make Pyrrha too too creepy. I wanted her a little creepy, just not _too_ creepy, you know? **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: A small, pretty contained chapter. Not much happens, but hey, life can't always be insane craziness all the time. Tell me what you guys think.**

* * *

Saphron tapped out a quick reassurance to Terra before putting her phone back into her pocket. Brushing the hair away from her face and wiping some of the sweat away, she went back to work, ignoring the pounding headache that had been plaguing her for the last week.

She loved her little brother to death, but some days she wished that she could just duct tape him to a chair for a day or two and have some peace and quiet. Jaune seemed to be constantly testing her patience this last week, what with the tournament, and getting _arrested_ for assault.

Smiling pleasantly at one of her bar patrons, she swiped an empty glass from under the man, replacing it with another. The worn-out girl had hoped that these three years of relative peace would wring out whatever bloodthirsty training Raven had instilled in Jaune's head, but it only seemed to make things worse. She could remember the days when Jaune had been bullied at school, what seemed a lifetime ago. She could remember the rest of the sisters stepping in and sheltering Jaune, making sure that he was safe.

He definitely didn't need any help keeping himself safe anymore.

Nowadays, Saphron was tempted to take another job just to hire a lawyer, with all the broken bones and bloodied noses that Jaune was leaving when anyone thought to bully him or bully someone within his line of sight.

His heart was in the right place, even if the way he enforced his belief's weren't. That was a silver lining, at least.

Getting Jaune to act normal was near impossible, which was frustrating, seeing as how the two of them were supposed to be laying low. Saphron felt like she was too young to be getting hernias, but her brother was definitely trying his damndest to prove otherwise.

The stress wasn't helping the other aspects of her life either. All three of her jobs suffered with how little sleep she was getting. Cooking was almost getting dangerous, Jaune having to bring the fire extinguisher into the kitchen the last time when she left the oven on after practically burning a whole chicken. And Terra...

Saphron still felt guilty about not being able to give all of her attention to Terra. It seemed every date ended with her having to run home early, or have Terra tag along with her to get groceries before the store closed for the night. Saphron tried apologizing and explaining how she felt, pretty sure that open communication was the way to go in this type of relationship, especially so early on. Terra had said that she understood, but Saphron wasn't sure. She didn't know if it the Raven cultivated paranoia that was speaking, but Saphron couldn't help but wonder some nights why Terra was even interested in a mess like her.

Saphron stopped moving for a second, trying to stabilize herself on the counter for a second, the world spinning wildly as her head sent a particularly powerful pulse through her body, almost knocking the strength out of her knees. What she wouldn't give for a good night's rest.

"You don't look so hot there, kid."

Saphron glanced up at the rasping voice, finding her heart stopping for a second as she saw a Branwen Tribesmen.

The abject fear faded away from her a couple seconds later, but her mind still ran furiously, trying to figure out if she had time to run away or not.

"You alright there? You look like you've seen a ghost." The man tried for a reassuring smile to complement the joke, but the smell of alcohol and the sight of his barely shaven face turned it into more of a grimace, making Saphron tense even further.

Still, the man didn't look like he recognized her.

That was good news. Saphron wasn't exactly sure what to do with this information, but it was definitely good news. That meant that she would have time to finish the shift and go home and talk with Jaune. They could decide to leave Argus if they needed to, or fight, or... or something. Shoving those thoughts away, Saphron gave her version of a reassuring smile.

"Sorry, it's just been a busy day."

The man raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair, tilting to look at the near empty bar. Saphron winced when the legs of his chair tapped the ground again as he faced her.

"Yeah. I can see that."

"Y-yes. Well. It was busier earlier in the day," Saphron said weakly, wringing her fingers behind her back. "Is there something you would like right now?"

The man eyed her curiously, before shrugging, slouching forwards even further. "I dunno. What's the cheapest liquor you've got on hand."

Great, Saphron thought to herself, another cheapskate.

"Well, we've got some of this," Saphron pulled out a bottle that smelled like death and popped open the cork, trying her best to sell it while simultaneously trying not to gag at the smell. "and a shot of it's worth about half the cost of—"

"I'll take it," the man said, pulling out some lien. Saphron stared at the amount, math bouncing around in her head. Four hours of sleep she may be operating on, but that still seemed like way too much for one shot. Nevertheless, Saphron pulled the money back and filled up a shot glass, handing it gingerly to the man. He tipped the glass towards her before throwing it back, letting out a sound of satisfaction as he turned the cup upside down, a small grin spreading on his face. Saphron tried her best not to stare in horror as the man gestured for another glass, telling her to keep them coming until the lien ran out.

He drank like a pro, barely flinching as he pounded shot after shot. There were breaks in between, of course, but he barely seemed affected by the amount of alcohol he was consuming.

Saphron had seen men throw up after a single shot of what she'd given him.

Still, a paying customer was a paying customer, and Saphron wasn't going to do anything that would make him suspicious. She supplied the alcohol, he supplied the lien.

He didn't talk much while he was blitzing himself, thankfully.

Other customers watched with intent fascination for the first couple minutes, but quickly lost interest and returned their attentions to their own business, which meant that they started calling for drinks as well.

Business swirled around as Saphron tried to keep track of everyone, not act suspiciously, and not collapse from the pounding headache that she was trying to ignore.

Eventually though, the customers trickled away, even if the headache didn't. Gathering lien, Saphron peered up nervously, watching the hunched form of the man, wondering when he was going to leave, or if he was going to wait until the bar was empty before trying something on her.

She thumbed her scroll nervously, wondering if she should contact Jaune. Saphron didn't know how strong this guy was, but two was better than one, and Jaune definitely knew more about taking someone down the hard way than she did.

Saphron put her hand out of her pocket when the man stood up though, pretending to wipe down an already clean table. The man stood on his feet unsteadily, which wasn't a surprise, with how many glasses were lined up in front of him. She had honestly expected him to be more unsteady than he actually was.

The man brushed some stray hairs up out of his eyes and gave a loud yawn, stretching slowly before smacking his lips, turning his attention towards her. Saphron tried her best not to freeze, continuing to clean an imaginary stain. She didn't even want to look up, afraid of what would happen if she did.

The man's heels clacked against the wooden floor, louder than they needed to be. When the clacking stopped, Saphron looked up slowly, meeting the unshaven man's eyes.

What dark eyes, filled with...

Saphron wasn't sure what, she just knew something was wrong with this man.

"Keep the change." The man rasped, before he continued walking, the doors to the bar swinging shut behind him.

Saphron stood agape, relief flooding through her. She didn't even pretend to act professional, pulling out one of the chairs and plopping down in it, closing her eyes.

She would count this as a victory.

There's so little going right at the moment, she had to count _something_ as a victory.

It took another hour and a half before the owner let Saphron go, thanking her for her service tonight and handing her the tips that she had made, as well as her paycheck for last week's work. Saphron gave him a beaming smile before leaving, pulling out her scroll and calling Jaune.

"Best brother in the world speaking, we take payments in lien if you're ready to order?"

Saphron rolled her eyes, squinting a little to peer through the low haze of lamps lighting the streets.

"Yeah, I'd like an order of 'where are you, you know what time I get out, dummy', with extra pickles and mayo on the side."

The was muffled conversation as Jaune pulled the scroll away from his mouth, speaking indecipherable words to someone else.

"Sorry, sis, I lost track of the time. I'll be there in thirty."

Saphron sighed and shook her head, even though she knew he wouldn't see. "It's fine, Jaune, I'll just head home. I'd rather not wait in the cold for half an hour before getting home anyways." Saphron paused, a devilish smile flirting across her face. "Who were you talking to? It's not that Pyrrha girl that threw you in prison, is it?" Saphron made sure to sound slightly disapproving, hoping that would spark the right reaction out of Jaune.

"She's not the one who threw me in prison," Jaune's exasperation made it clear that this wasn't the first time Saphron had brought this up. "If anything, her couch did, so you should blame her for that. Pyr's actually a nice girl, once you get to know her."

Pyr? Saphron raised an eyebrow, wondering when Jaune had gotten so close to the girl. He didn't usually throw nicknames like that out into the open until he was a little closer to the person. Unless...

"What're you guys doing right now?" Saphron tried for a more casual tone, biting her lip a little while waiting for a response. "You guys aren't... you know?"

"We're sparring," Jaune said, Saphron letting out a huge sigh of relief. She never had the talk with Jaune, and she was pretty sure that was something underneath Raven's attention, so she wasn't sure she wanted to broach the topic now of all times. Although, being in the Branwen camp for so many years, it wouldn't be a surprise if Jaune knew way more than he let on.

"Well, you guys shouldn't be fighting all the time. I don't think Pyrrha really considers those proper dates really," Saphron teased, laughing a little at Jaune's indignant sputtering. "You've got to learn a little romance, Jaune. While sparring _can_ be a little hot and heavy, it's not really something that'll get her to fall for you."

"We're not like that!" Jaune protested, Saphron already imagining his enflamed cheeks. "Like I told you a million times already, we're just friends." Saphron tried to ignore the sigh in the background of Jaune's scroll call. "She just thinks it's a good idea to learn from each other. That's all."

Saphron decided to let it go, knowing that Jaune would be stubborn enough to refuse Saphron _and_ Pyrrha's hinting until the world ended.

"Alright, alright, I'll let it go," the 'for now' was unspoken, even if the both of them knew that it might as well have been said. "Have you learned anything from her?"

"Oh, a ton!" Jaune's voice took on an excited edge as he started to speak about the one thing that he truly seemed passionate about: fighting. Saphron wished he had some other hobby, but at least he was doing it in a supervised gym against someone that could hold her ground. "She's teaching way more than I even thought! We're not exactly compatible," cue Pyrrha choking on something in the background, "in fighting styles, with my knives and her sword slash javelin slash musket and shield, but she's showing me better ways to hold myself and move against people with Aura, which is really helpful."

"That's good," Saphron said genuinely, happy that Jaune was happy. "I'm glad you're having fun. There's... something we need to talk about when you get home, but it can wait until then." Better to let him have this for now before springing the potentially bad news on him. "No, you're not in trouble." Saphron added, cutting Jaune off before he could ask the question. For once, at least, Jaune wasn't the focus of her ire.

"Okay, cool. I'll be home in a little bit, then. Love you, sis."

"Love you too, Jaune."

Saphron kept the scroll in her hand as it shut itself, debating on whether or not to make another phone call. Pulling up Terra's number, Saphron's finger hovered over it for a second, debating on whether or not she should call her. They had only been on four dates, so it wasn't like they were super close or anything. It was just...

She stopped torturing herself and pressed the call button, holding the scroll up to her ear. A second or two passed before she heard Terra's sleepy voice call out an uncertain greeting.

"Hello?"

Saphron bit her lip, realizing that she probably just woke the other girl up.

"Oh, I didn't realize I woke you up. Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

There was a rustle of bed sheets before Terra spoke again. "'S fine, I was getting a little thirsty anyways." She stifled a yawn before continuing. "Is something wrong?"

For a second Saphron thought about talking to Terra about the man, but decided against it. She hadn't talked much about her past yet, and Terra wouldn't understand her underlying panic until Saphron explained, something she didn't really want to do over a scroll call.

"No, I was just on my way home, and wanted to call and chat for a little bit... I just completely forgot what time of night it was right now." Saphron winced at the thought, knowing how pissed she would be if someone woke her up at this time. Instead of being angry though, Terra let out an airy chuckle.

"It's seriously fine, Saphron. It's a Friday night, or Saturday morning really, so it's not like I've got work tomorrow. Now, if you had decided to call me on a Monday night or something..." Terra's voice was joking, but Saphron made a point to remember not to call the other woman on a weekday.

Saphron heard the sound of water hitting glass, waiting patiently for Terra to finish her drink before continuing to speak.

"So how's your day been?" Saphron asked.

"Oh my gosh, you won't believe the people I work with," Terra said in exasperation, launching into a tirade about people and their lack of common knowledge. Saphron smiled softly while listening to her voice. She had such a pretty voice.

"That sounds like a real chore, Terra." Saphron said warmly, glad to listen to her talk about pretty much anything.

"Yeah," She sighed, "But it's not all bad. There's some good people in there. Some." She let out a laugh. "But enough about me. Something must've been up for you to call me so late."

"What?" Saphron let out a gasp of indignation. "Do you really think I would call you just because I had a problem? The audacity." Terra let out a laugh. "But, yeah," Saphron shrugged, even though there wasn't any reason to. "I guess I've just had a rough day."

"Saph, you always have a rough day," Terra teased, "I don't think I've ever heard you say otherwise."

"Maybe that's 'cause I really do always have a rough day," Saphron transferred the scroll to her other hand, digging into her pockets to procure the key to her apartment. "I just really need a day off, I guess." Saphron grunted a little opening the door, pushing the heavy frame aside.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Saphron yelped in shock, jumping a foot in the air and dropping her scroll as Terra, Jaune, and Pyrrha jumped as she flicked on the lights.

"Wha-" Saphron's head spun at the sudden assault, the small group pulling out party poppers. "What's going on?"

Jaune laughed at her bewilderment, bouncing up towards her. "We're surprising you, dummy." He wrapped her into a hug. "Happy twenty-second birthday, sis." Instinctively, Saphron tightened her grip, resting her chin on Jaune's shoulder. It took another second for her mind to catch up, but when it did, Saphron had to swallow the emotions that rushed up from under her.

Stepping back, Saphron looked at the three of them. It was a small group, but they were all smiling, waiting for Saphron's next reaction. She gave them all a watery smile, covering her mouth.

"Thanks guys," Saphron said, her voice cracking a little. "I actually completely forgot what today was," she admitted, making Jaune lean over to give her another hug.

"I know you did," he said quietly, "But I didn't. And I'm not going to let you keep giving me presents on my birthday without letting me return the favor on yours." Jaune pulled away from his sister, walking over to pull out a small, messily wrapped box. He handed it to her, a soft smile on his face. "Happy birthday sis," he repeated, urging her quietly to open the package.

Saphron gingerly peeled the wrapping away, revealing a plain white box. Opening it, Saphron felt something get stuck in her throat. Pulling the present up into the light, she admired the way the locket shone even in the harsh lamp lights. The inscription on the face of the locket was small, but readable.

 _Thank you for always being there for me,_

 _Jaune._

Opening it, Saphron saw a picture of the two of them from a couple years back, a few weeks after they had arrived in Argus, the two of them sporting hesitant grins. It was the first time in a long time that they were safe, ready to take on the world, the two of them.

Jaune touched her chin, getting her to look up at him again.

"I know I haven't always been the best brother," he started, looking intently at her, "And I know that I haven't always made things easy for you. But I love you, sis. And I would do anything to make sure that the both of us are happy."

Saphron didn't speak, just pulling Jaune into a third hug. The two of them didn't need words at the moment. They knew what the other was thinking, and that was enough.

It took a second for them to part, but when they did, Terra walked up, fixing her glasses nervously.

"I hope you're not too mad at us lying to you," was the first thing she said, before procuring a bag of her own. "But I'm hoping that this'll be enough for you to forgive us."

Saphron accepted the bag gratefully, pulling the contents out carefully.

Inside was a brand new coffee maker, as well as a brand of coffee beans that Saphron had been craving ever since she had it the first time. Saphron bit her lip, happy for the present, but knowing how much both had to have cost Terra.

The other woman touched Saphron's hands, shaking her head once. "I know what you're thinking. It's actually not that expensive. I've got a friend that knows the importer for those beans, so I got them at a discount, and the coffee maker was on sale." Terra's eyes shone mischievously for a second. "And I think I'm allowed to spoil my girlfriend on her birthday, don't you think?"

Saphron let it go, still too overwhelmed to be uncomfortable about it. "Thank you." Saphron hesitated for a second before leaning over to kiss the other woman, ignoring the sounds of disgust from Jaune.

Finally, Pyrrha walked up nervously, both of her hands behind her back.

"Hello Ms. Arc," Pyrrha said politely. Saphron rolled her eyes, wondering when Pyrrha would relax enough to call her by her first name. Saphron had only insisted on being called by her first name every time Pyrrha spoke to her. "I know we haven't known each other long, but I wanted to try and put my best foot forward," Pyrrha pulled out a small envelope and handed it to Saphron, who opened it up to reveal two gift cards. "I don't what to be rude and presume, but I know that you and Jaune have been through a lot. I was hoping that I could help relieve some of that pressure for you."

Saphron shook her head, stowing away the grocery store gift cards. "Thank you, Pyrrha, I certainly appreciate the gift. It _will_ help us through the next few weeks." Maybe she should buy some steaks with the money for Jaune and her. That would really be nice. "And please, Pyrrha, call me Saphron. If you're going to give me a present, then you have to be my friend," Saphron wagged her finger, "and no friend of mine is going to call me Ms. Arc."

Conflicting emotions clashed on Pyrrha's face for a second before she gave in, giving a nod that almost turned into a bow. "Very well, Saphron."

The blonde girl let out an explosive sigh, still not happy with Pyrrha's overly polite tone. Intent on fixing it, Saphron opened her arms and hugged Pyrrha, causing the redhead to yelp in alarm.

"Seriously, Pyrrha. Thank you," Saphron whispered in her ear, "And you don't have to be so formal with me just because I'm the guardian on the boy that you want to date."

Pyrrha squeaked a little and pushed herself away, stammering denials that didn't really form into sentences, face bright red as her eyes flickered from Saphron to Jaune to the floor and the ceiling, making Saphron double over in laughter. Saphron gave her one last thumbs up before turning her attention on the whole group.

"Thank you all for your gifts. I... I can't remember the last time I celebrated my birthday," Saphron admitted, getting a murmur of sympathy from Terra and Pyrrha. Jaune just nodded, crossing his arms. "But I'm glad I was able to celebrate it this year."

"Hear, hear!" Jaune shouted, throwing up his arms and getting Saphron to laugh again. "Now, let's get the cake out for cutting!"

"Cake?" Saphron gaped at the mention of the expensive dessert. "Wh—you guys bought cake for me?" Jaune pulled the thing out of the fridge, Saphron's eyes going round as dinner plates upon seeing it. "That thing's enormous! That cake must've cost a fortune!"

"That thing's barely enough for the four of us." Jaune rolled his eyes, procuring one of his knives. "And Terra said it barely cost anything." Jaune waved his knife. "I know how much you love mocha, sis."

Saphron looked at the dark cake, her resolve cracking.

"Well, it would be a waste not to eat it..." Saphron said hesitantly, biting her lip softly. "And it's not like we can return it or anything..."

"Exactly," Jaune drawled out, "So then, let's eat!"

Saphron managed to stop Jaune from cutting into it with his dagger, pulling it away and giving him a stern look. They managed to find a more suitable knife to cut the cake with (found in the drawer, and not on Jaune's person, like last time) and they sliced it into four manageable chunks, doling them out onto plates and passing out forks before digging in.

The party, if one could really call it that, ended shortly after, with Pyrrha excusing herself first, having to be up early tomorrow to meet her agent.

"Something about a sponsorship deal," Pyrrha said meekly, rubbing her arm. "It's the first one I've ever been offered, so it's like diving off the deep end for me."

The other three gave their congratulations as she left, Terra packing up soon after.

"Can't really stay up too late," Terra yawned, covering her mouth quickly. "It would ruin my sleep schedule, and I get super grumpy if I don't get enough sleep."

Saphron gave Terra a quick kiss before she left, Jaune politely gagging behind her as they did so.

Shutting the door, Saphron turned to find Jaune taking the plates to the kitchen area, turning on the sink.

"You don't have to clean them now, Jaune," Saphron said, "It's pretty late, we can just do it tomorrow."

Jaune shrugged, placing one of the plates on a drying rack. "It's alright, Saph. This'll only take a second, then I'll go to bed. I've already taken a shower when I got home, so the bathroom's all yours for tonight."

Saphron watched him clean up, happiness settling through her.

Things were rough. The two of them lived paycheck to paycheck, trying their best to make a better life for themselves.

But it was getting better.

Saphron had a girlfriend, Jaune was on his way to getting one, and money wasn't as stretched as she thought it was going to be, especially this month with Pyrrha's gift. And the biggest thing was that the two of them were together, and eager to take on the day.

They would get through this, just like every other time.

"Love you, bro." Saphron whispered, closing the door to the bathroom.

Jaune smiled, glad to have given his sister a memory to cherish.

"Love you too, sis."

* * *

 **A/N: Look at that, I _can_ write a chapter with no breaks in it. Crazy. **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoy.**

* * *

The breath left Jaune in an explosive whoosh, a body settling on top to cut off the last avenues of escape. Trying to struggle free, he felt a warm hand wrap against his wrist, and sharp steel touch his neck.

The pin was perfect.

"Do you give?" The question was demanding, Pyrrha's docile personality taking a complete different turn when inside of the ring.

Unfortunately for her, Jaune wasn't going to go down just because of a technical pin. He outweighed her, and while this sort of hand-to-hand fighting was designed to subdue someone bigger than you, there was only so much that could be done when the opponent was just as experienced in this sort of fighting.

In fact, Jaune would say that messy brawling and pins would be the one thing that he had a slight edge over against her.

Bracing his other arm against Milo, Jaune pushed the blade an inch or so away from his throat, just enough to move. Bending his knees and twisting his body, Pyrrha let out a yelp as Jaune bucked her off of him, pulling her towards his chest while he did so. There was some sort of unconscious force working against her it seemed, as she wrapped her arms around him instead of pushing him away. He wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth though, taking advantage in the lull of judgment.

Reversing their positions, Jaune grabbed hold of both of her wrists, pinning them above her and sitting on her waist, making sure that she couldn't use her legs to gain any kind of leverage.

The two of them were flushed from the exertion, Jaune barely able to keep his head up, their noses almost touching.

The gymnasium was quiet except for their breathing.

"Do you give?" Jaune echoed, the words almost a whisper. Pyrrha blinked slowly, eyes unfocused as she looked at him.

"Um..." There was movement for a second, but Jaune matched it, getting a sharp exhale from the redhead. There was no way that he would fall for something like that again.

"Nice try," Jaune muttered, a roguish grin appearing on his face, "But I'm not falling for that trick twice."

Pyrrha responded by squirming a little more, trying to find something to turn the tables. It wasn't very effective, almost like she was just moving for the sake of moving. Jaune responded by pressing her wrists down a little tighter, getting another shaky breath from the girl.

"I... give," Pyrrha finally relented, head turned to the side, hair covering most of her red face.

Jaune let out a sigh and let go of her wrists, sliding off of her and laying beside her, arms spread out against the cold mat.

The two of them didn't speak, simply content on trying to get some energy back into their bodies from the spar. Finally, Jaune spoke up.

"I swear, Pyrrha, you're super solid on everything _but_ grappling. It seems every time you close in to try and go for some sort of pin you always seem to end up under me." Jaune commented, turning his body so that he could regard the girl.

She seemed especially winded today, judging by how long it was taking for the red to disappear off of her face. Pyrrha caught him looking, turning towards him with a polite smile.

"Perhaps I just need more practice with grappling to get better."

Jaune frowned, but could understand the logic behind it. "That makes sense," he agreed, "But wouldn't it just be better to start off just practicing grappling instead of you throwing them in randomly during spars?" It didn't really make sense to him. It was almost as if she was trying to throw the fight.

"Well," Pyrrha started, trailing the word a little bit before continuing, "Practice can only take you so far. And it doesn't hurt to try out something new when it's harmless."

"Well, I guess..."

Pyrrha sat up, taking down her hair and retying the loose strands so that they wouldn't brush against her nose.

"Anyways, I think it's about time for you to head back, don't you think?" Jaune wanted to continue on the point, but something about Pyrrha's movements were telling enough for even Jaune to let it go, at least for now.

Pyrrha was right anyways, Jaune thought to himself, glancing at the clock hanging on one of the walls. There was just enough time for him to have a quick shower and change before he had to meet up with Saphron as she got out of work. Being the weekday, there would still be just enough light outside for the two of them to hang out a little bit before retreating back to the cramped apartment.

"Yeah, I guess," Jaune muttered, pulling off the sticky shirt. He had to remember to wash this one, he thought to himself, eyes glancing up towards Pyrrha when he heard a squeak.

She seemed to have her back turned towards him, moving weirdly to get towards the girl's locker room. Maybe she was overheating, which seemed possible, judging from how red her ears were.

Jaune let the thoughts slide away as he entered the locker room, turning on the shower and letting the water hit him.

Pyrrha was a good friend.

Normally, if Jaune was in his apartment, he would've started a mental timer, making sure not to linger too much in the shower. That was just money down the drain, after all. Here though, in a private gym that was pretty much reserved for solely Pyrrha, there were no concerns about too long showers.

Jaune would happily take that.

Letting out a happy hum, Jaune waited for a good minute, not moving as he let the hot water run against him.

The shower was long, but Jaune knew how much time he had, and he wanted to treat himself to this for at least a little bit. He'd been working quite a bit, not to mention sparring with Pyrrha at least three times a week. For sixteen, Jaune thought that he was doing well in keeping productive, and helping out with their money situation.

Still, Jaune couldn't imagine working as much as his sister did.

Leaning against the tiles, Jaune opened his eyes. He wished there was something more that he could do for her, but he drew a blank every time he tried to think of something. And the one time he _did_ do something, Saphron tore up the winnings anyways, making it very apparent that doing something like that again wasn't an option.

It got to a point that when Pyrrha offered to donate money, Jaune actually hesitated.

It took a lot for him to refuse, but refuse he did. Besides, Saphron would've never accepted the offer anyways.

The two of them couldn't stand to be indebted to anyone anymore.

It was another minute or two before Jaune finally shut off the shower, drying his hair and donning some more appropriate clothing for the winter weather outside.

Pyrrha was used to waiting for him, putting away the scroll that she had been idly tapping at when Jaune exited.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

Jaune nodded, opening the door for her to walk through, which she did with a quiet giggle. "You really don't have to walk me every time, you know," Jaune added as he closed the door. Pyrrha shook her head.

"I'd prefer it. Besides, I would rather not have your sister be mad at me if something _did_ happen to you." Pyrrha shivered, having seen demonstrations of Saphron's fury against Jaune. In the end, Jaune just shrugged. It didn't really matter to him, as long as it wasn't inconveniencing Pyrrha too badly.

A bird cawed above them, probably heading back towards its nest as sunset approached in a few hours.

Talking with Pyrrha was different compared to everyone else Jaune had ever talked with. There was always an undercurrent of politeness that kind of made him tiptoe around a lot of subjects, and tended to paralyze the stream of conversation. Things would get awkwardly quiet with the two of them, but then Pyrrha would ask him a question, or Jaune would ask her a question, and they would move on to the next subject. And they would do that for hours before Jaune either needed to go, or Pyrrha excused herself.

If it was anyone else, Jaune would've cut his losses, knowing that there was no way they could form a friendship with awkward pauses and stilted conversations.

But for all the awkwardness and forced politeness that Pyrrha seemed to have, there was another side of her that impressed Jaune, another side that he would say he got along with very well.

When the conversation turned to tournaments and competitive fighting, Pyrrha's eyes seemed to light up. She had explained to him how being famous wasn't always great, and how much of a problem she always had because of it, something that Jaune could sympathize with. But throughout it all, when Jaune asked if Pyrrha would've done anything different, she shook her head.

She may hate the fame and the problems that came with it, Pyrrha explained, but she loved the thrill of the fight, and the sportsmanship that was behind it.

Jaune supposed that he could understand that feeling.

Even in friendly spars with the other girl, Jaune could feel his blood rushing in his veins, the wild energy pumping throughout his body. He blamed it on Raven.

Nevertheless, no matter how many weird conversations the two of them seemed to have, Pyrrha always seemed to bull through them, finding better and more comfortable ways to have a friendly conversation. And if she was going to go through all of that effort for someone like Jaune, it wouldn't be fair if he didn't try at least as hard, right?

"So, have you applied to Haven yet?" Jaune asked casually. Pyrrha didn't answer right away, glancing at the blond instead.

"I'm still thinking about it," Pyrrha finally answered, "I was actually thinking that perhaps I would apply for another academy... like Beacon, perhaps."

"Beacon?" Jaune repeated, raising an eyebrow. "That's a long way from Argus."

"That's kind of the point," Pyrrha admitted, rubbing her arm sheepishly. Jaune nodded, understanding.

"That's not a bad idea," Jaune said thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "Far enough from Mistral, but still able to be a Huntress. Not bad."

"Thanks," Pyrrha said warmly, "What about you? Are you planning on applying to any of the academies?"

"Me?" Jaune waved the question away. "Nah, not really. I'm not exactly Huntsmen material here," Jaune said, laughing a little. "Besides, I don't really think I can afford to go to something like that and leave Saphron to struggle by herself."

Pyrrha was silent, watching Jaune as he talked.

"If you want, I could-"

"No," Jaune answered firmly, looking at the redhead. "You know that's not an option."

It didn't take much longer for the two of them to round the last corner, revealing a diner-style restaurant. There were maybe two cars in the parking lot, and there was maybe one table of customers sitting inside when Jaune peered through the large windows.

Saphron was dressed in a dark blue button-up shirt standing next to the cash register, her glasses slightly askew as she smiled politely at the paying customer, waiting for him to turn around before dropping the mask. Ruffling her hand through her hair, Saphron spotted Jaune waving through the window, a smile, more genuine this time, appeared on her face.

Stepping away from the counter, Saphron brushed her hands on her dark khaki's, untying her apron and yelling something to someone in the back of the house, pausing to listen to the response before walking outside, greeting the two teenagers waiting for her.

"Pyrrha, what a pleasant surprise!" It really wasn't, but the two didn't bother to correct her. "Thank you for taking your time to visit."

"It's my pleasure, Ms.—Um, Saphron." Pyrrha ended awkwardly. Saphron let out a sigh, shaking her head.

"That's probably the closest we're getting from you, isn't it?" Saphron asked, raising an eyebrow when Pyrrha let out an embarrassed laugh. "At least you're polite. Maybe some of that can rub off on this one over here," she said thoughtfully, laughing a little when Jaune hip bumped her.

"I'm plenty polite," Jaune retorted, crossing his arms. "Just not around you."

"Well, I'm glad I'm such a special exception," Saphron rolled her eyes, mirroring Jaune's pose. Pyrrha just stood there, fidgeting a little uncomfortably at the display of closeness, wondering to herself if it would be a good idea to interrupt this moment.

"Whatever," Jaune said, waving a hand through the air. "You ready to go?"

"Yep," Saphron nodded, patting one of her front pockets. "Got paid and everything today too. Yay, bills."

"Yay." Jaune threw up a weak hand.

"Well," Pyrrha decided that this was the best time to interrupt, knowing that if she didn't do it now, she wouldn't have a chance until hours later. As patient as she was, there was only so many times she could stand that before learning her lesson. "It's about time for me to take my leave then," Pyrrha smiled coyly at Jaune. "Have a good night, Jaune." Turning to Saphron, the redhead yelped as Saphron ambushed her with a tight hug. "G-good night, S-Saphron," Pyrrha stuttered out, face red.

"Take care, Pyr," Jaune waved, while Saphron gave Pyrrha a wink before she took off, ears tinged red. Waiting until she was out of view, Jaune turned his attention towards his sister.

"You know you have a girlfriend already, right?"

Saphron laughed, shaking her head as the two of them started heading home. "I know. I'm just teasing Pyrrha. Besides, I know she's not interested in girls."

"Really?" Jaune asked conversationally, following beside her, "How do you know?"

She tossed a knowing glance at Jaune, internal debate sparking for a minute before she shrugged.

"Call it a sister's intuition."

"That sounds like something you make up when you can't be bothered to give me a proper explanation."

Saphron just hummed not answering the question as they rounded a corner. "So, how was work today?" She asked, deciding to change the subject. Her brother shrugged, stuffing both of his hands in his pockets.

"Same old, same old. It's so slow there, sometimes I wonder how the old man could even pay rent for the store." Jaune grinned at Saphron. "At least Pyrrha came early so that I could spend the last hour chatting." Saphron mirrored his grin.

"Lucky you, then."

Jaune hummed in agreement. "What about you?" He asked back. Saphron pursed her lips for a moment before answering.

"Same as you, I guess. Boring as anything. First job's always that way, of course, but I was hoping for more customers at the diner." Saphron scratched her cheek. "I guess Argus is just having a slow day in general."

"Maybe." Jaune nodded, muttering something to himself as they continued down the street.

The two of them talked about other things as they headed towards home so that Saphron could take a quick shower before they did something outside for the few precious hours that they had together.

Climbing up the stairs to their apartment, Jaune felt a chill go up his spine.

Something was wrong.

Slowing on his ascent, Jaune grabbed one of Saphron's hands, making her stop. She didn't say anything, turning to look at Jaune, an unspoken question in her eyes. Jaune raised a finger to his lips, Saphron understanding instantly that Jaune felt that something was off.

Making sure that his sister was behind him, Jaune pulled out a vicious looking knife from inside of his waistband, gripping it loosely as he climbed the last few steps.

Nothing seemed wrong at first, Jaune's eyes scanning back and forth to make sure there wasn't anyone waiting to attack them. Quiet seemed to reign supreme, as there was no one on the second floor. The two siblings only had one neighbor, and he was at work anyways.

Scanning once more to make sure there wasn't anything else out of the ordinary like trip wires or extra cameras, Jaune took another cautious step up, continuing until both of his feet hit the top of the stairs.

Still nothing.

Huh. Maybe it was nothing. Jaune's paranoia did tend to spark at random times, and there were a few times that nothing really came out of it. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry, so—

Wait.

"Do you see something?" Saphron whispered behind Jaune, one of her hands gripping Jaune's shirt.

The boy frowned, turning to look at his sister.

"Did you lock the door when you left this morning?" Jaune asked, receiving a frown from Saphron. She crossed her arms in indignation.

"What kind of question is that?" She asked back, "You know I don't ever forget to lock the door. You're the one that usually forgets." Saphron leaned over. "Why're you asking?"

Jaune pointed to their apartment door. "The doors cracked open."

"What?"

Saphron surged forwards a fraction before Jaune held her back, shaking his head quickly. "There could still be someone there." Making sure that Saphron wasn't going to make a break for it, Jaune padded slowly towards the door, pushing it gently open.

It didn't take much effort for the door to creak open. In fact, the door was happy to open up, swinging halfway through before falling off the hinges and hitting the ground, making Jaune wince.

Peering through the open doorway, Jaune's eyes widened.

"What's wrong..." Saphron's voice trailed away, hands covering her mouth.

The inside was an absolute mess.

It looked like a Beowulf had been set loose inside of the apartment, free to smash and tear anything and everything that wasn't nailed down. Hell, some of the things that _were_ nailed down seemed to be broken too.

Stepping in gingerly, Jaune went through the bedroom and bathroom to survey the rest of the damage, as well as make sure there wasn't anyone still lingering around. Maybe it was a good thing there wasn't, Jaune thought angrily to himself, stowing his knife away. He was pretty sure that Argus was a little more strict about murder than inside of the Branwen tribe.

Unfortunately, the bedroom and bathroom looked just as bad, if not worse. The support for the twin bed was split in two, the mattress torn open. There were gouges in the wall, and water leaking everywhere in the bathroom, the porcelain toilet cracked.

Nothing seemed stolen though, Jaune noted calmly in his mind, picking up some of the things strewn about. There was a lot damaged, some beyond any hope of repair, but nothing was outright missing that Jaune could make note of. Sure, there wasn't really much of value _to_ steal, but surely, a thief would've tried to steal something.

No, this wasn't a robbery.

Jaune touched the walls, noting how similar the damage was to someone running a knife or blade through the cheap plaster.

This was a message.

Did Raven finally find them?

That didn't make any sense though. If Raven found them, and knew where they were living, why wouldn't she just wait and ambush them both? Why cause all of this wanton damage for no reason?

Jaune left the bedroom to find Saphron kneeling on the kitchen linoleum, picking up half of a broken mug, cracks running through the scrawling of '#1 Big Sis' he had written on the mug for her so many years ago.

A hand closed over his heart as Saphron raised her head, slow tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Why?"

The question was soft-spoken, but it didn't make the feeling in Jaune's stomach any better. Why indeed. Jaune couldn't give her a good answer. He just didn't know.

"W-we probably shouldn't sleep here tonight." Jaune tried his best to be the reasonable voice for now, knowing that Saphron wasn't in the right frame of mind to be the responsible one. To be honest, Jaune wasn't really feeling it either.

They worked so hard for this little corner of peace and quiet, and someone walked in and wrecked it.

How dare they.

Jaune felt a hand slide over his shaking fists, Saphron pulling him down so that the two of them could fall into a hug.

Closing his eyes, Jaune tried to calm himself down. At least they were safe. His sister was still here. That was what's important.

"Come on," Saphron said after a while, pulling him up onto his feet. "Let's try and get this place somewhat cleaned up."

The two of them got to work, picking up and putting away the things that were thrown haphazardly on the floor, and trying their best to clean up any broken ceramics and glass. Saphron called the front office, telling them that the apartment had been broken into. There was another call to Terra, explaining what had happened, pulling a visceral reaction out of the woman.

"What?" The woman gasped, gritting her teeth, her eyes flashing angrily. "That's crazy! I'm appalled. Did you call the cops yet?" Saphron shook her head, having turned on the video function of her scroll. "Well, you need to. I'm coming over to get the two of you guys."

"What're you talking about?" Saphron asked, eyebrows scrunching together.

"Well, you can't sleep there, can you?" Terra asked, prompting a shake of the head. "Well, you and Jaune can stay with me until you get everything sorted out," Terra held up a hand, interrupting the stream of protests that threatened to leave Saphron. "It's fine. Really. I've got a couple of empty rooms anyways." Terra's face softened, "I just want to make sure that you two are alright. Please."

Saphron bit her lip, but finally accepted, knowing that there wasn't really any other option.

Thanking Terra once again, Saphron hung up after the other woman told her that she would be there in about half an hour.

Letting out a tired sigh, Saphron brushed the frazzled bangs away from her eyes. Stepping inside again, she watched Jaune collapse on the small patch of carpet that wasn't littered with anything, closing his eyes and covering his face with an arm.

Saphron smiled softly as she watched him. At least he was okay. And if he was okay, then everything would be alright.

Saphron noted idly that she was still in her work clothes, but shoved that thought out of her mind. There wasn't really anything that she could do about that now, with the rest of her clothes a complete mess. Rolling up her sleeves, Saphron decided to open up the fridge, intent on cleaning out whatever mess what probably in there.

Opening the fridge door, Saphron's heart dropped to her stomach, finding everything immaculate and untouched, except a single note that lay in the middle.

 _Leave Argus._

 _V._

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 **A/N: Hehe. Fun.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Well. Let me tell you, this was one helluva chapter. Actually, this was probably going to be even longer, but I realized that I could probably split it up into two chapters, what with how much information I'm throwing into this chapter. Let me know what you guys think.**

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Saphron woke up sweating, not quite bolting upwards from the force of the nightmare.

Out of breath, Saphron gripped her head, closing her eyes as she tried to collect herself. Another nightmare. Just another nightmare.

There had been quite a few recently, with the break in, but none of them quite as bad as this one. Saphron hugged herself tightly, trying to wring the last of the nightmare shakes out of herself before slowly moving towards the corner of her bed, legs sliding out under the covers, feet touching the cold, wooden floor. Her throat was parched, and she needed a glass of water.

Brushing the bangs off away from her temple, Saphron padded towards the door, pausing right as she reached for the door. She could've sworn she had closed the door all the way last night, but their apartment door always had a problem with bucking open randomly during the night.

Pushing it gently, the door swung open slowly, making no sound as Saphron stepped out, trying to keep silent before she realized that the living room light was on, Jaune probably awake. Unfortunately, Raven had trained him to be such a light sleeper that he probably woke up right after she sat up in bed.

Well, she'll make some hot chocolate for him to make up for it while they were both up.

"Jaune? Sorry for waking you up, I was just a little thirsty." Saphron shut the door, turning back towards the kitchen area. "Do you want any hot chocolate..."

Saphron stopped talking, realizing that there was a third person inside of the apartment.

Raven sat next to a trussed up Jaune, who she had kneeling on the carpet. Her blade was out, resting on her knees. Saphron froze on the spot.

"I don't think Jaune's in the mood for any hot chocolate," Raven said conversationally, "but I'll have one if you don't mind."

Saphron didn't answer, eyes still glued onto Jaune. She could feel her nails biting into the palms of her hands. Raven lifted the blade off of her lap, re-crossing her legs before placing the sword back down.

" _If_ you don't mind," Raven repeated, tracing her fingers against the couch's armrest. A cruel smile appeared on her face, her head leaning a degree to the side. "Would a please suffice?"

"What do you want?" Saphron asked suddenly, scowl locked on her face. "Why are you here?"

Raven quirked an eyebrow. "I think you know exactly why I'm here, Saphron." Her voice was sickly sweet, making Saphron's teeth grit. Raven's hand was lightning fast, reaching out and grabbing a handful of Jaune's hair, making him grunt through the gag. Raven peered at Jaune's indignant eyes, humming to herself. "Thought you could run, couldn't you?" She jerked Jaune's head. "No one runs," Raven turned to look at Saphron. "Not even you, my little protégé."

"What're you talking about?" Saphron demanded.

Raven stayed silent, the small smile on her face turning ugly. She jerked Jaune's head again, exposing his neck.

"You have two options, Saphron." Raven lifted her sword in the air, inspecting it keenly. "Do nothing, and I slit Jaune's throat." Raven placed the blade against Jaune's throat, who stopped struggling when he felt the blade. "Or attack me." Raven didn't flinch, didn't change her expression as she watched Saphron, who was frozen solid. "and then there's the chance that he won't die. What's the answer?" Her smile quirked a little higher.

"Quickly now."

Saphron's eyes darted from Jaune's eyes to the blade. Back and forth, unsure of what to do. She wasn't Jaune. She wasn't fast, she wasn't brave enough to fight... but this was Jaune. This was her brother. She would die for her brother. She would die for him. She would...

Raven didn't even let Saphron move before she drew the blade cleanly through Jaune's throat, the blond starting to gurgle as he drowned in his lifeblood. Saphron stared in horror as Raven stared deep into Saphron's eyes.

"Don't hesitate, Saphron. Never hesitate."

Her red eyes flashed.

"Because I won't."

###

Saphron opened her eyes, sweat dripping down her nose.

Nightmare.

It was just a nightmare.

The same nightmare that she has had for the past couple of months.

She groaned, hand rubbing her face as she turned around, shifting her sheets to the side as she squinted in the low light of the rising dawn. Early enough to be tired, but just late enough that she couldn't justify going back to bed. Still though, Saphron still debated on napping for a few more minutes.

Unfortunately, her logic started to kick in, and convinced her to get out of bed.

Another groan ripped out of her throat as Saphron lifted herself out of bed, stumbling onto her feet. Tussling her bed head, Saphron opened the bedroom door, letting out a yawn. Squinting a little, she looked at all of the doors down the hallway, trying to remember which one was the bathroom.

She still wasn't used to living in such a large space, Terra's house in the middle of Argus being the largest thing she had lived in for years.

"A house in the middle of Argus," Saphron muttered to herself as she miraculously managed the open the bathroom on the first try. "How much would that cost anyways?"

After a quick shower and everything else, Saphron headed downstairs, smelling bacon and hearing the sizzle of a griddle towards the kitchen.

Terra was at the stovetop, apron tied on while she hummed a tune, flipping the bacon. Hearing Saphron enter, the bespectacled woman turned, casting a bright smile.

"You're up early today." Terra commented, putting down the spatula as she walked over to give Saphron a hug. "Something wrong?"

"No," Saphron shook her head, not wanting to bring her troubles to the other woman, "Just wanted to get an early start to the day, that's all." Terra nodded in agreement, shuffling towards the coffee machine, pulling out some coffee beans. "I'll get another cup of coffee brewing."

Saphron frowned as she pulled out a seat for herself. "You've already finished off a whole pot? That's a lot of coffee."

"Well," Terra said slowly, grinding the beans, "I guess you could say that it's my one vice. I don't drink, I don't smoke, so I've got to have something, right?"

"I guess," Saphron watched her move with a practiced fluidity that someone could only have after going through the motion thousands of times. "Thank you, then."

Saphron and Jaune had been staying with Terra for the last four days, and they were slowly getting used to the new environment. It was bigger, yes, but it was also... richer. Terra wasn't a Schnee by any means, but having a home like this while she was so young was impressive, and she had an eye for decor, judging by the furniture and paintings laid about.

It took a day or two for Saphron to even be comfortable touching the walls, seeing how nicely they were done. She was afraid that she would've smudged them with her poorness.

Being a relay technician seemed to pay extremely well from what Terra explained, which made a lot of sense in Saphron's mind. The relay tower was incredibly important to Argus, after all.

It wasn't much longer before Saphron received a plate of bacon and eggs to go along with her fresh coffee, all of which she dug in with gusto. There wasn't much talking, what with the two of them inhaling their breakfast, until Jaune stepped down, rubbing his eyes drearily.

"I smell food."

That was all he needed to say for Terra to stand up and make him a plate. Saphron subtly nudged Jaune to thank Terra, which meant that she practically kicked him as hard as she could against his knee.

"Do you have work today?" Jaune asked, shoveling another slice of bacon into his mouth. Saphron raised an eyebrow at the question.

"No," Saphron said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, "Today's the only day I don't work, because I don't work seven days a week."

"It was just a question," Jaune defended, miffed. "What I meant was, are you _just_ working at the diner today?"

"Yeah, I'm sure that's exactly what you meant," She teased, before answering the question, "But yes, I've got the one shift, and I'll head home straight after."

"Straight after?" Jaune repeated, narrowing his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm the older one here, aren't I?" Saphron raised an eyebrow. "I'll be fine. This won't be the first time I walk home by myself, so I'll be fine." Jaune didn't answer right away, taking a gulp of orange juice, setting it down with a worried frown.

"Maybe I should take a half day," Jaune said, more to himself than to her, "I don't think the old man would mind."

"Jaune," Saphron interrupted his flow of thoughts, putting a comforting hand on his. "I'll be fine. Seriously."

The blond boy watched Saphron for a little while longer before giving up, shrugging as he did so. "Fine. Call me when you leave."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Terra watched quietly, a small smile on her face as she clapped her hands, bringing attention towards herself. "Well! I've got to get to work. I should be home before seven at night, I think, so dinner—"

"I've got dinner," Saphron cut in, "Seriously, you've already put up with us for so long, it's the least I can do. I can make a pretty mean casserole, you know."

Terra laughed, putting up her hands. "Alright, fine. It would be rude of me to turn down your cooking all the time. Just don't spend too much money, alright? You need every penny if you want to get another deposit in time for the end of the month."

"I will," Saphron said, smiling. "It won't be too expensive, promise. And it'll still be delicious."

Terra gave Saphron a parting kiss before leaving, Jaune going back up to his temporary room, having another few hours before he had to go to his shift at the general store.

Sliding on her nametag and coat, Saphron left the house, closing and locking the door, shielding her face as the sun hit her eyes. It was a beautiful day, gentle winds and flocks of birds that weren't Nevermore gliding through the air, something she wished she could take advantage on. Alas, she was up to her nose in work trying to find another apartment for Jaune and her. The two of them were desperately saving money for the deposit as well, cutting even more corners than usual. Thankfully, Terra was unbelievably helpful, happy to give them the things they needed.

Saphron couldn't help the soft smile on her face when she thought of the other woman. Terra tried so hard for her. She was a mess, but Terra seemed to be able to look past that. She was such a pure soul.

She didn't know if she really deserved Terra.

The diner door opened with a soft ding as she pushed through, greeting one of her coworkers with a smile.

Unlike last week, the diner seemed to actually hold customers, tables actually filling and leaving decent tips, something Saphron was immensely grateful for. She could be quite sociable, but there was only so much sociability that she could do against no business, or worse, rude business.

But no, things seemed to work out well for once, everyone seemingly satisfied and leaving decent tips. Towards the end of her shift, her feet were aching, but she was able to gather a tidy sum of lien for the day.

"Hey," Saphron turned to her coworker, a pale older woman named Nilla. "There's another customer. You want one last one before your shift's done?" Saphron folded her cloth, tucking it into her back pocket as she debated the offer. She _had_ come away with a good amount today, but any extra definitely wouldn't hurt. Besides, Jaune wasn't going to be home any time soon anyways.

"Sure," Saphron answered, smiling at the other woman. "Thanks."

Checking out the another one of her tables, Saphron headed towards her next potential customer.

"Hey there, welcome to..." Saphron trailed off, eyes growing wide.

Black hair shifted as red eyes locked onto hers, a small grin of his face.

"Hey there, Saphron." The grizzled man said, leaning sloppily in the booth.

"Ah... you..." Saphron said lamely, hands gripping her little book tightly. "Hello."

"Yeah," The man nodded, "Me."

She didn't say anything for a second, unsure of what exactly to say to the man. Part of her wanted to back out and grab Nilla and have her take the table. But another part of her...

"What do you want?" She spat out, scowl firmly pressed onto her face. The man raised his eyebrows, leaning backwards with his hands up.

"Whoa there cranky, what's gone up your skirt?" The man snorted, pointing at the menu, "I'm just here for the exceptionally... uh, plain food." He held his hands up, shrugging. "You gotta problem with that, lady?"

Saphron grit her teeth, trying her best not to show her anger. She wasn't exactly sure it was working, but at least it was the thought that counts.

"Actually," Saphron said, putting her pad back into her apron, "This is close to the end of my shift, I'll grab you Nilla, she's a much better waitress than I am and you'll be very good in her hands—"

"Nope," The man drawled, using his pinkie to pick something in his ear.

Saphron blinked, caught off guard at the sudden denial. "E-excuse me?"

"Mm, I think I said no," The man quirked a smile. "I think I want to be served by you. I'll throw a fit if you don't." She stared at the man in disbelief, not able to understand how a man can sound so petulant and be so threatening at the same time. "Besides, I only want to order some food, and maybe have a few words with you," The man raised his hands, "That's all. I'll leave right after. Promise."

It was still pretty obvious to the man that Saphron didn't quite believe him, so he sighed and shuffled through his pockets, procuring some lien. Enough lien for Saphron's eyes to actually stray downwards, widening at the amount.

"I'm going to leave this here," The man said casually, lifting up the napkin dispenser and placing it on top of the money, "And regardless of what happens, whether you listen to me, or you don't, or you have someone else take my orders, it'll stay there after I leave." He quirked an eyebrow, "Get me?"

That was a lot of money. And she needed money. Biting her lip, Saphron knew she had to make a decision soon, before the manager came up asking what was the problem.

 _Never hesitate._

"Okay," Saphron said softly, slowly pulling out her pad and pen again. "I don't think it should hurt to listen to you, mister."

The man actually let out a sigh of relief, impossibly slouching even further into the chair. "Thanks," he said dryly, pushing his bangs upwards. "I don't think I've got anything else that was gonna hold your attention after that. Qrow's the name, by the way."

"Time's ticking," Saphron said, trying her best to slip back into waitress mode. "Anything you would like to drink?" Red eyes watched her, as if wondering if there was anything else she would add. Saphron held fast though, keen to try and have as little interaction with the man as possible. Maybe he would convince her otherwise, but she would have to see first.

"Alright, alright." Qrow peered at the menu again, crinkling his brow. "I'm guessing you don't have any booze laying around?" Saphron raised a sharp eyebrow, which answered his question enough, "Yeah, didn't think so. I think I'll just have some water for now. And uh, I'll get this." He pointed haphazardly at the menu, barely even looking at whatever he just chose. Even Saphron wasn't sure what he was pointing to, having to resort to leaning over a little bit to try and get a better view.

"What's your relation to Raven, Saphron Arc?" Qrow whispered when her head got close enough for him. The young woman froze, mind working at the question, as well as writing down the double cheeseburger that the older man had pointed at. Straightening up again, Saphron scribbled something else down on her pad.

"Anything else? Maybe a side of fries to go along with it?" Saphron asked. Not the answer he wanted, Qrow scowled a little before shrugging.

"Sure. I won't say no to fries."

"Great," Saphron jotted it down, backing away slowly. "I'll go put in your order," and left him unanswered.

Approaching the ticket machine, Saphron bent over, hiding the panic and confusion in her face. The question... It made no sense.

Why would a man dressed in Branwen colors, acting exactly like a Branwen, know her name but not know her relationship with Raven? Was the man new, and having heard rumors of a deserter, wanted to prove to the tribe that he belonged? No, that couldn't be it. Raven didn't recruit people as old as Qrow, if that was even his real name.

So why? Why ask that question?

Saphron stopped tapping at the screen for a second, an idea whispering in the back of her head.

Was he a spy?

Would that even make sense? Was the Branwen Tribe something important enough _for_ there to be spies inside?

No, what was she thinking? Of _course_ the Branwens were important enough. They were the biggest group of bandits in Mistral for Dust's sake! But who was this man a spy for?

Would it be a good idea to help a spy work against Raven? What would happen if Raven found out.

Saphron cursed a little as her pen slipped out of her fingers, tapping quietly on the floor. Crouching down, the blonde gripped her hands tightly, trying to get the shakes out of them. Calm down. She can't panic right now. That wouldn't help anybody, and she had someone that depended on her.

Jaune depended on her, even now.

By the time the food was ready, Saphron had calmed herself down, deciding to at least hear the guy out. She would make a plan for whether or not she liked what she heard or not, then go from there.

He couldn't do anything to her in the busy diner anyways.

Sliding his meal onto the table, Saphron whispered into his ear. "Who are you?"

Qrow grabbed a fry, taking a bite out of it. "I'm pretty sure I already introduced myself, blondie. But if you're trying to ask what I'm doing here..." He sighed, putting down the fry, "I'm here on behalf of a very powerful man. He had spent years trying to locate you and your brother after the attack on your town. I'm sorry about what happened, by the way. It must've been hard for you two."

"It's the past," Saphron said tersely, pursing her lips. The man looked surprised at the answer, making Saphron wonder if she was too flippant about the reply. "I mean... It was rough, but it was a long time ago," Saphron corrected herself, "Besides, it's not like me and Jaune have had enough time to really process the loss. We've been a little busy."

The man hummed, leaning forwards a little bit. "And what _have_ the two of you been doing?"

She didn't answer right away, trying to choose her words carefully.

"How much do you know about us?" Saphron asked back, "I think I deserve that much, at least."

"Heh. You two deserve a lot more than that," Qrow said, shaking his head. Saphron couldn't help note the sadness in his eyes. "All I've been told is that the Arc family had been wiped out years ago, except they couldn't account for two of the kids. Another couple years pass by and I hear rumors about two blondes joining the Branwen Tribe, and seeing a masked blonde kid on several of the raids." He shrugged, lifting up another fry. "That's all I had, until a couple weeks ago, when a boy entered the annual Argus Tournament that resembled one of the surviving Arc kids."

"And now, here I am, chatting with the other." He spread his hands in front of her. "Enough to satisfy you, kid?"

Saphron frowned, a distinct feeling that Qrow was hiding something from her ringing inside her stomach. Still though, it was enough for now, at least, enough for her to listen to him for a little longer.

"And what happens now?" Saphron asked, "Are you going to take us away? Introduce us to this 'powerful man'?"

Qrow scoffed, waving a hand in the air. "Nah. I just needed to verify that you guys were really the Arc siblings. The man I'm working for was just concerned. It would be nice if I could learn a bit more about what happened between the village attack and now, but I've got enough for him to be happy. Except..."

Saphron stiffened at the word. She knew it couldn't be that simple.

Qrow propped his elbows on the table, staring at Saphron seriously. "What's your relationship with Raven?" He repeated.

"...Why?" Saphron asked. She did want to know, but she also needed a couple of seconds to think things through, to decide on whether or not she should tell Qrow, and how much to tell him if she did.

Qrow, however, didn't seem to appreciate the question. Another sigh left him, his head turning to look through the big windows of the diner. He looked like he was thinking about how much to tell Saphron too.

"Raven's dangerous," Qrow said, prompting Saphron to roll her eyes. Tell her something she didn't know. "And she can be devious. She's smarter than she lets on, and strong. Very strong." Qrow inhaled. "And she's my sister. My twin sister, in fact."

Saphron stared at the man, ice flooding through her veins. That's why she was so on edge just standing next to him. It made sense now, Saphron thought as she compared his face with her mental image of Raven's face, finding the similarities. Another epiphany struck her.

"You hate her?" She asked softly, getting Qrow to freeze in place.

"That's... a difficult question," He said slowly, eyes meeting hers. "She's done some terrible things. A lot of them. I couldn't list them all if I tried. But..."

Saphron understood.

"She's your sister." Saphron said softly. Qrow pursed his lips, before nodding once.

"Yeah."

Saphron was starting to see the man in a newer light. The information was helpful, and she was starting to understand why he was here. She decided that maybe it was alright for her to trust in the tired-looking man.

"Raven kidnapped the two of us while we were escaping from the village," Saphron started explaining, telling Qrow of all of the crazy stuff that happened in the past six or so years. It took a while, enough time that Saphron's manager came out to make sure that everything was alright, and reminding her that she couldn't just be chatting a guest on company time. By the time Saphron finished talking to her manager, clocked out, and finished up telling Qrow her life story, the diner clock was hitting seven, two hours after she was supposed to be getting off of her shift, and another hour before Jaune got off of his.

Qrow fiddled with his untouched burger and fries, taking another sip out of his water as Saphron went silent, finishing up the story. The two of them were quiet for a little longer before Qrow finally broke the silence.

"Damn," He said, shaking his head. "That just sounds like a whole lotta rough there, kid. I knew Raven was a little unbalanced but..." Qrow sighed for what must've been the hundredth time since he met Saphron. "I didn't realize she was going to such far lengths. And why?" He looked at Saphron. "Why did she do all of that to you guys?"

Saphron shrugged. That was a question that she thought to herself many times over the years, but there was never a sensible answer. "Your guess is as good as mine."

They were silent for a little longer before Qrow stood up, wincing a little as something popped. Maybe his knees.

"Tch. I'm getting too old for this," Qrow muttered, moving his bangs with one hand. "Thanks for telling me this stuff, kid."

She nodded, standing up as well. It was about time for her to get home. Well, she had to stop by the grocery store first, grab dinner, _then_ go home. It was probably a good idea for her to call Jaune and Terra, let them know that dinner was going to be a little later than usual.

"No problem," Saphron said, "What're you going to do now?"

Qrow looked outside again, eyebrows creasing. "Not sure. I've still got a little bit of time before I need to leave the city, but it wouldn't hurt to get back to Vale sooner either." He shrugged. "We'll see how it goes." The graying man patted the table, drawing Saphron's attention to the lien on the table. "Keep the change," He said, before leaving the diner and taking a stroll down the road, disappearing as he rounded a corner.

"What a weird guy," Nilla commented as she approached Saphron, who was stuffing the lien into her pocket and cleaning the table up a little before leaving. "Was everything alright? You two were talking for quite some time there."

"Yeah," Saphron brushed a bang behind her ear, smiling softly. "We were just... catching up. I hadn't seen him in a while. An uncle," She added, hoping that was enough for Nilla. It seemed to be, as another customer waved a hand to catch the woman's attention.

"Alright then, well, you have a good night then!"

Saphron noted the setting sun as she left the diner, pulling out her scroll and sending messages to both Jaune and Terra, telling them to expect food later rather than sooner, giving excuses about being held up at work. The replies didn't take too long, both of them pretty much saying that it was fine, and for her to get home safely.

Mentally collecting the list that she needed for dinner tonight, Saphron started walking. She wanted to do something simple and not too expensive, just because she knew that Terra would throw a fit if she did anything too crazy. There were a few options, but she had a hard time deciding on one thing. It also didn't help that her thoughts kept straying to the conversation that she just had with Qrow, and wondering if it was time for the two of them to leave Argus.

She wasn't really sure if she wanted to leave.

It was hard work, staying here, but the past three years had made Argus Jaune and her home, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to give that all up yet. Especially after Jaune had _finally_ made a friend (or potentially something more) and Saphron was starting to seriously consider furthering the relationship that she had with Terra.

It was all so much, and so distracting, to the point that when she heard movement coming from one of the alleyways to her right, it was too late to react.

A hand wrapped around her mouth, cutting off her reflexive scream while another hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her into the dark alleyway. Saphron tried to bite down on the hand, only to find Aura sparking in defense, to her dismay. Someone with Aura meant that Saphron would have a much harder time getting out of this hold, as well as defending herself once she managed to do so.

An insistent voice started to whisper into her ear, instantly recognizable to the blonde.

"Stop struggling so much, it's just me." Vernal whispered, getting Saphron to relax for a second, before tensing up and struggling again. Saphron wasn't sure what in that statement was supposed to relax her, after all. Vernal shouldn't know where she was, let alone know enough about her schedule to ambush her like this. So she struggled harder, only stopping for breath when Saphron realized that there really wasn't any way for her to get out of Vernal's arms.

Saphron couldn't help but notice how tightly Vernal was holding her now.

Another second passed before Vernal started speaking again.

"Are you finally done squirming?" She asked, loosening her grip just a tad. Not anywhere near enough for Saphron to get out, but enough so that Saphron didn't have such a hard time breathing anymore. "Good. If I let go of your mouth, will you promise not to scream?"

Saphron nodded, then proceeded to try and scream for help the moment Vernal lifted her hand, prompting the other girl to slam her hand back over Saphron's mouth.

"You know what, that was my fault," Vernal said in exasperation. "Fine, I guess I'll be the only one talking then." Leaning close enough that Saphron could feel her breath, she started talking.

"You need to leave Argus as soon as possible. Raven's moving, and she's not going to stop until you're back at the camp. From what I saw, she doesn't look very happy, and I don't think there's much that's going to stop her from getting her hands on you." Vernal paused, waiting for a reaction from Saphron.

Everything Vernal said pretty reaffirmed the sinking feeling in Saphron's gut that had started ever since Jaune's mask slipped off during the fight with Pyrrha. Raven was coming, and she was angry.

Her nightmares were coming true.

Vernal must've sensed the difference in atmosphere from Saphron, slowly loosening her grip over the blonde's mouth, although her other arm was still wrapped tightly around Saphron's waist.

"Don't you get it?" Vernal whispered insistently, "Raven's been waiting for this moment. For the moment that you guys slip up. And she's slowly closing around you." A pause. "Leave. Please."

There was something desperate in Vernal's voice that made Saphron try and turn around. Instead, Vernal's grip tightened around her stomach, her voice changing to become more vicious.

"Don't turn around."

It wasn't the anger that stopped her, but the underlying sounds of hurt and pleading. Saphron decided not to turn around, at least for now.

"Why're you telling me all of this?" Saphron finally asked, speaking for the first time. There was a hesitation in Vernal's next sentence.

"Does it really matter?" She asked harshly, "I'm here, and I'm telling you to leave. That's enough, isn't it?"

Saphron bit her lip, unsure if she was reading the undertones correctly. But that wouldn't stop her from trying.

"I missed you," She said softly, making Vernal tense again, the arm around Saphron's waist gripping tight before loosening again.

"Stop that," Vernal demanded, although there were no spines and spikes in the words. There was only exhaustion, and pain.

"I mean it," Saphron countered, one of her hands gripping onto Vernal's forearm. "Did... was Raven mad? At you?"

Vernal didn't answer, just leaning her head briefly against Saphron's neck. It was a simple action, but it still sent pleasant shivers up and down Saphron's spine.

"I can't just leave," Saphron continued after figuring out that Vernal wasn't going to talk about it. "I have a life here. Friends... and..." She winced, guilt flooding through her after realizing that she hadn't even thought about Terra while in this compromising position.

"And more." Vernal finished for her, dropping her arm and letting Saphron step out. Still, out of respect, Saphron didn't turn around. "Yeah, I know," She muttered, "I'm not exactly sure what you see in her anyways."

"She's a good person," Saphron defended, almost automatically. Because she was. Terra was insanely good, seeing as how they had barely been dating for a few weeks, but was completely fine with installing her and Jaune in her home. "She's helped me through a lot."

Vernal scoffed, but didn't refute. "I think she's boring as hell."

Saphron quirked her lips, crossing her arms at the same time. "Are you spying on her?" Of course Vernal didn't answer the question, causing Saphron to shake her head. "You would probably have a better opinion of her if you sat down and talked to her." Another snort from Vernal.

"Besides," Saphron closed her eyes, "I'd give up my arm for boring."

Vernal had nothing to say to that.

Biting her lip, Saphron started to turn around, getting a sound of alarm from Vernal.

"D-don't—wait, stop..." Every word trailed off, getting softer and softer as Saphron ignored her, continuing to turn around slowly. The message was clear. If Vernal really didn't want Saphron to see her, then Saphron was giving her plenty of time to react and leave.

When Saphron finished turning around, she was met with the most bashful looking Vernal she had ever seen. A little hunched over, Vernal's face was turned to the side, one of her hands gripping the other arm. Eyes roving, Saphron tried to find what the other woman was trying to hide, but found nothing. In fact, she looked almost exactly the same as Saphron had seen her three years ago. Except maybe...

Saphron took a step forward, making Vernal wince at the sound of shoes on concrete. But she didn't leave. She didn't back away.

As if approaching a wild animal, Saphron took slow, steady steps, making sure that Vernal wasn't going to just take off and run. It was surreal, seeing Vernal so cowed. So scared.

Of what?

Saphron touched Vernal's chin, lifting it up slowly, revealing the left half of Vernal's face.

"Oh, Vernal," Saphron breathed out, eyes detailing the scarred burn stretching across the woman's cheek, so large that it almost touched her neck. The damage seemed extensive, to the point that Vernal's left eye seemed clouded over. "What did she do to you?"

"S-someone had to take the fall," Vernal said, still refusing to look the blonde in the eyes. "She wasn't very happy with me."

No kidding. Saphron slid her hand upwards, touching the scar. "Shouldn't... why didn't your Aura fix this?"

Finally, Vernal lifted to meet Saphron's eyes.

"There's some damage that even Aura can't fix." Vernal whispered.

"I'm sorry," was the only thing that Saphron could think of saying, wishing that there was something else she could do for her. Vernal pursed her lips, shaking her head.

"It doesn't matter. Especially if you leave now."

Saphron bit her lip, looking Vernal carefully. "Come with us," She finally said, raising her other hand to cup Vernal's cheek. "Get away from Raven. Please." Now it was her turn to plead, hoping that Vernal would say yes. Unfortunately, Vernal closed her eyes, shaking her head as much as she could with Saphron's hands on her.

"I can't," Vernal said softly, resignedly. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" Saphron asked, frustrated. "Surely after what she's done to you, you can't have any more loyalty for her."

"I—" Vernal backed out of Saphron's grasp, looking away again. "I owe her my life, Saph."

"So what, you're just going to go around doing her every command until she gets bored of you?" Saphron asked angrily, stepping forward again. "What happens then? What happens when you slip up and make another mistake? Are you really alright with letting Raven dictate your life."

"I DON'T KNOW!" Vernal yelled, eyes flashing furiously. The outburst didn't last long, her eyes leaving Saphron again. "I don't know," She repeated miserably. "But I do know that if I leave, she's going to kill me."

"She'll kill you anyways," Saphron said softly, wishing that she could get her point across. "Please, Vernal. I don't want to see you get hurt anymore."

Vernal shifted her head, a wan smile on her face. "Thank you," Vernal said sadly, "But this is what I deserve, Saphron. Look at me. Look at what I've done." She barked out a sad laugh, shaking her head. "Tell me this isn't just karma coming to bite me in the ass."

"Then be better," Saphron urged, lip quivering. "Right those wrongs. Forgive yourself, and make yourself a better person." She held out a hand. "Please. Leave with us. We'll start over again."

Vernal stared at the hand, expression confused, morphing slowly into something resembling awe.

"How can you say that?" Vernal asked quietly, eyes still stuck on the hand. "How can you say that, after everything I've done to you?"

Saphron didn't stop herself, moving forward and pulling Vernal into a hug, the other girl wrapping her arms around tightly.

"I forgive you." Saphron whispered. "I forgive you, so please, just come with us."

They stayed like that for another moment, before Vernal shifted just enough for Saphron to get the message, loosening her arms so that the other girl could escape. The two of them looked at each other, thoughts flying around in a jumbled mess as they tried to sort everything out.

"Twenty-four hours." Vernal said, Saphron's stomach dropping. "After that, Raven's coming for you. I don't think I can hold her off for any longer." Thunder rumbled in the distance, rolling through the city of Argus. "Please, for my sake, go."

Another painful pause between the two of them. "This is for the best," Vernal said, gripping her hands together. "Raven has a plan. Something involving the two of you. I'll be there. I'll stop it. I promise."

And without another word, Vernal turned around, leaving the alleyway, and leaving Saphron all alone.

As the rain started falling, Saphron found another excuse for her wet cheeks once she arrived home.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: This chapter is a little contained, but I couldn't really get it to stick onto the last chapter, nor could I just attach it to the beginning of the next so... yeah. Sorry if it's a little mild. Next chapter will pick up the pace a little more.**

* * *

Saphron arrived back at Terra's home in a daze.

Closing the door gently behind her, she heard footsteps as Terra walked up to her.

"Oh Saphron, thank goodness. It started raining and you didn't answer your scroll, and we were so concerned," Terra looked up and down, making sure that Saphron was alright. Another set of footsteps came from above as Jaune appeared down the staircase, dozens of knives strapped onto his body.

"You're alright," Jaune said, his relief pouring out alongside the two words, "Thank Dust." Furrowing his brow, he noticed how still she was, and sopping wet. Something was wrong.

"Hey, Terra, would you mind grabbing a towel from the bathroom?" Jaune asked, approaching his sister, touching her shoulders. "Hey," he said softly, trying to get her attention. He barely noticed Terra as she went upstairs. "Everything alright there, sis?"

Finally Saphron seemed to snap out of it, the haze slowly lifting as she looked around, realizing that she had arrived home.

"Hey," She mumbled, unable to help a small shiver that escaped her. "'S cold."

"Terra's getting a towel," Jaune answered, leading her towards one of the couches and sitting her down. "You're freezing. Is everything okay?" Jaune repeated, trying to meet her eyes, "You didn't answer either of our calls, and we were getting worried."

Saphron looked down numbly at her hands, mind slowly working. "I forgot to get groceries." She frowned for a second, trying to stand up before Jaune pushed her back down again.

"It's fine, it's fine," Jaune said comfortingly, "We'll just get a pizza. There's no way we're letting you out of the house like this right now." Saphron nodded listlessly, her wet hair flopping in front of her eyes. Jaune gently pushed the strands away.

"Sis," Jaune tried again, "What's going on? Are you alright?"

"I brought a towel," Terra announced quietly, handing it to Jaune, who started to dry Saphron's hair. Along with the towel, she procured a set of dry clothes, something that Jaune put to the side for later, making sure to at least get her hair dry before pausing. He muttered something to himself before standing up, pulling his sister to her feet and leading her upstairs.

"I'm just going to get her into the shower," Jaune explained to Terra, who nodded in agreement. "Can you order a pizza or something for us? I don't think Saphron's in the mood to cook anything tonight."

Jaune was slowly getting more and more concerned about how robotic Saphron was acting, and hoped that a shower would get something more than a couple of nods and a blank stare out of her. Making sure that she understood that he and Terra would be waiting in the living room for her whenever she was ready to talk, Jaune shut the bathroom door, taking care not to let it make any more noise than a quiet click.

Saphron's mind was a jumbled mess right now. There was so much running through it, crashing into each other that she couldn't make sense of anything. So full, yet so empty. Some thoughts were screaming at her, and they didn't do anything productive except fill her head so that the rest of her couldn't function.

It was slow, but her mind straightened itself enough for her to disrobe and step into the shower, the hot water hitting her, eliciting a gasp as the hot water drove some of the debilitating thoughts out of her head.

With the hot shower helping, Saphron gathered the rest of her mind and put it together, cleaning herself physically and mentally, getting together a good, sane, point of view.

Oh gods, Vernal.

The thought of the girl made Saphron's heart ache. How much suffering was she going through, volunteering through, because of her? Was it really fair for Saphron to move on and try to be happy with Vernal going through all of that?

Saphron shook her head hard, water hitting against the shower curtain. She couldn't keep going down that train of thought. It would only lead to another space out that she wouldn't be able to get out of any time soon.

Focusing as much as she could on finishing up in the shower, Saphron closed her eyes and tried to enjoy the hot water for a little while longer, before turning it off and getting dressed. It was a slow affair, something she did on purpose so that she would have a little longer to think of what she needed to do next.

What they needed to do next.

A rumble from the outside shook the house violently, making Saphron stumble for a second. Not an earthquake, but almost effective enough from the feel of it. Not an earthquake. Thunder.

Shaking a little bit, Saphron finished dressing herself before heading down to the living room, where Terra was just closing the front door, balancing a pizza box with one hand. Huh. She didn't realize that she was in the shower for that long. Jaune looked up from the TV, face brightening as he recognized that Saphron didn't seem as dazed as she was before.

"Saph," Still, he kept his voice low, as if worried that he would startle her. "How're you feeling?"

She smiled softly, "A lot better. Thank you. Both of you," Saphron bit her lip, guilt worming its way through her. "I'm sorry for forgetting to buy dinner. I've—I've had a lot on my mind."

"It's alright," Terra said, as Jaune replied a little more sarcastically, "I couldn't tell."

Both replies came from the same place of concern though, so Saphron tried her best not to roll her eyes at Jaune.

"Well," Terra said, setting down the box of pizza and opening up the second box of breadsticks. "Food's ready whenever you guys want it. I'm going to... go up to my study for a little bit, leave the two of you alone."

Saphron thought that in another life, she could've fallen in love with this woman.

Waiting for the study door to click shut, Saphron let out a sigh, sliding slowly onto the couch, wincing a little as she realized that she had left a damp spot on it from earlier, something that neither Jaune nor Terra had commented on. She didn't deserve either of them.

A plate of pizza and breadsticks were shoved in front of her face, Jaune looking at her seriously as he bit into his slice of pizza. "Eat."

Usually Saphron fussed a little when Jaune got all demanding like that, but she could tell that he wasn't doing it to get on her nerves this time. Gingerly taking a bite out of the pizza, she realized how hungry she was, and quickly took another two bites, gratefully taking a cup of soda that Jaune handed her to wash it down with.

"Thank you," Saphron muttered, not talking any longer as the both of them enjoyed their food, trying their best to ignore the sudden downpour that was hammering against the roof, and the intermittent lightning and thunder that shook the house violently.

Finally, the two of them were finished, the only thing moving or making any noise was the TV, playing something from the news, a woman describing the freak storm that was hitting Argus.

"We need to leave," Saphron finally broke the silence, getting Jaune to turn to her, raising an eyebrow. He reached over to lower the volume of the newscast. "Raven knows where we are. Well, apparently Raven _knew_ where we were since your tournament, but now..." Saphron took in a breath. "Now she's moving. Towards Argus."

Lightning flashed, accompanied by roaring thunder.

Jaune winced, his shoulders dropping a little.

"Not much to think about anymore, is it?" Jaune whispered, rubbing his face. "I thought we would have a little more time."

"Yeah." Saphron nodded, biting her lower lip. She had a hard time looking at Jaune in the eyes, knowing how hard this was going to be. Not just for him, but for her too.

"Everything still alright down there?" Saphron looked up to find Terra poking her head past the stair railing, polite concern showing on her face. Case in point.

Saphron smiled, able to convey some sort of feeling for now. "Everything's alright. Thanks Terra." The other woman smiled and nodded, disappearing back upstairs. Turning her attention back towards Jaune, she saw him watching their interaction intently, thoughts whirring in the back of his mind.

"Do you think..." Jaune started, hesitating for a second before continuing. "Maybe we would be safe here." Saphron's heart seized a little, hearing how vulnerable he sounded. "I mean, we're in the middle of Argus. I don't think even Raven is going to be that crazy, right? And, you seem so happy..." He trailed off, eyes raising back up.

Oh, Jaune.

Not for the first time, Saphron cursed Raven for forcing them into this half-life.

And Jaune, for making such a convincing case, even though he knew what Raven was capable of...

He must've been so happy here.

"Jaune... you know we can't." Saphron put a hand on his, squeezing it gently. "It's too dangerous. You know what Raven's capable of. You know she would—would use the people we cared about if we stayed." There was a long pause as neither one of them spoke. "You understand, right?" Saphron urged for an answer.

"I know," Jaune said, sighing, before repeating himself in frustration. "I know. It just sucks. So. Much." Jaune slammed his fist against a cushion. "Why us? Does she just love tormenting us?"

"I don't know," Saphron shook her head, leaning back against the sofa as well. "And you're right, it sucks. But it's not like we can ask Raven why, right? And even if we did, it's not like the crazy bitch would answer." Jaune let out a little laugh at that. "It's rough, but the only thing that matters right now is that Raven _is_ coming for us. And that means that we have to leave."

Jaune pursed his lips, eyes setting in determination. "Yeah. You're right." He sighed, ruffling his hair back. "This is going to suck, isn't it?" Saphron closed her eyes, knowing what she had to do.

"Yeah." She said grimly, "Yeah, it really is."

###

Saphron hated how the knock on the study door echoed across the hallway.

She remembered the first time coming into the house. She remembered twisting and turning to look at this huge house, and coming to realize that Terra lived her all by herself.

It must've been so lonely.

And now she was going to leave Terra alone once again.

It took a little longer before the door unlocked, Terra peering through the cracks. Her expression turned warm, but there was something hidden in the back of her eyes. She knew something was up.

"Hey," She opened the door the rest of the way, "Everything sorted out?"

Saphron nodded slowly, trying her best to keep her gaze level with Terra's. "Yeah. I, uh. I need to talk with you." She said slowly. Terra's face fell a little as she nodded, turning away and inviting her into the study.

Terra's study was always a little breathtaking to Saphron. It wasn't anything super majestic, but it was homely, and well taken care of. There were a handful of shelves lining the walls, books that all seemed well-read and loved filling the shelves. Towards the big window was a beautiful, simple desk, with a computer that always seemed to be buzzing.

A projection of a well lived, independent woman that didn't seem to shout ostentatious.

Terra was too good for Saphron.

Saphron sat wordlessly in a nearby desk chair, hands collected in her lap. Terra sat down as well, finishing up typing up an email before exiting out and turning off her monitor, hands resting against the keyboard as Terra stared at the blank monitor. Saphron decided that it would be best if she just pulled the bandage off right away.

"Jaune and I have to leave." Saphron said, all of her words coming out in a sudden rush. She waited for Terra to say something, or do something, or anything really. Instead, she watched the other girl just sit there, for a little bit, before her eyes closed slowly, letting out a sigh that seemed to have come from her whole entire body.

"I see." Terra said levelly, the only indication of a reaction being the keys underneath her fingers clicking as her hands tightened a little bit. Saphron took that as permission to continue to say something.

"I—There's a lot of dangerous people coming after us," Saphron continued, playing with her fingers, "and I'm not—I don't want to put you in danger. And I was hoping that we would have a longer time before... it all happened. I'm sorry."

"Wouldn't you have already put me in danger by now?" Terra asked, sliding her hands off of the keyboard. "That's kind of a weak excuse for breaking up with me, you know?"

"That's not the case!" Saphron objected, surging up from her chair, "That's not it at all! You're amazing, and lovely, and—"

"Just not for you, right?" Terra interrupted, finally looking at Saphron. "You know, I didn't really expect for a 'it's not you, it's me' situation."

"That's not it at all!"

Terra stared at Saphron hard, before exhaling a little bit, a wan smile on her face. "I'm just kidding. Relax," She said, getting the blonde to deflate before she could say anything else. "I know you're not that type of person."

"Oh."

"Did you really think I would say something like that seriously?" Terra asked teasingly, scooting herself closer to the other girl. They both fell into a comfortable silence, Terra reaching over to take a hold of Saphron's hand.

"There's really people coming after you?" Terra asked, waiting for Saphron to nod to confirmation. "Wow. You, uh, didn't do anything illegal, did you?"

"The cops aren't after us, if that's what you're asking me," Saphron said, a little indignantly. "But they are dangerous."

"Who are 'they'?"

Saphron shook her head. "They're... bandits, basically. I—I don't think it's safe for me to say anything else, though."

"Hm." Terra hummed, trying her best to disguise her disbelief. "You know, I always knew that you were hiding something big, but I didn't think it would be _this_ big." She let out a small chuckle. "Who would've thought that my girlfriend was such a badass. Or, ex-girlfriend now, I guess." She corrected herself, getting Saphron to wince a little.

"Yeah."

Saphron chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying to figure out something, anything to say to Terra. But everything that she came up with seemed so mediocre compared to the time that Terra had spent with her, and the amount of effort that she had put into the relationship for Saphron.

Everything she wanted to say just felt so empty.

Suddenly, Terra squeezed Saphron's hands, trying to get her to raise her head. Raising her chin, Saphron found a softly smiling Terra pulling her close, a lingering kiss placed on her lips. Saphron found herself breathless as she pulled away.

"I'm... not going to ask you to say," Terra gasped out, still recovering from the kiss, "But I wanted to at least say that the time we had was fun. And... and I had a good time." She choked a little on the last words, but was still able to keep a straight face, fortunately. Saphron wasn't sure she would be able to stop from crying if Terra started to do the same.

"Thank you."

Saphron definitely didn't deserve Terra.

###

"Do you have everything?" Saphron asked, waiting for Jaune to hoist up his backpack. Furrowing his brow, her little brother trying to remember if he had packed everything or not.

"I think so. Scroll, clothes, perishables. Uh. ID." Jaune tapped his chin, trying to see if there was anything else. "I've got a couple water bottles and some food bars." Saphron nodded, happy with the spread. Reaching into her pockets, she pulled out a fold of lien, handing it to Jaune, who whistled lowly.

"Wow. How much is this?" Jaune asked, riffling through.

"Half." Saphron said simply, getting Jaune to raise his eyebrows.

"Half?"

Saphron nodded.

"Well," Jaune said slowly, opening up his pack and putting the money in a secure location. "I should probably make sure that I don't forget this somewhere, then." Saphron smiled at him.

"No, that's probably not a good idea."

Terra arrived downstairs to see the two siblings checking each other and making sure that everything was in order. A cough brought their attentions away from each other, letting her step gracefully into the conversation.

"I assume that you guys are ready?" Terra asked, pushing her glasses up and inspecting the two blondes. They looked ready to brave through Remnant, and brave through Remnant they would. Weather was only getting worse and worse, the wind actively battering against the windows, rain pounding against the roof, and the sheer thunder practically knocking themselves to the ground every time it clapped.

Saphron nodded, shifting her hair a little to the side before shifting her eyes away awkwardly. It hadn't even been two hours since she had broken up with Terra, but she was still being unbelievably nice to her.

Jaune was a little sad that he would probably never see Terra ever again after this.

"Well then, I assume that you're heading for the trans-continental train? Headed towards the port for Vale, right?" Terra asked, leaning against a wall. Saphron looked at Jaune, unspoken conversation going in between the two of them.

"I'm not sure we should tell you, Terra," Saphron said slowly, rubbing her arm sheepishly. "It's just for our safety. Sorry." Terra rolled her eyes, crossing her arms at that.

"Okay. So you're not going to the train. I'm sure you can afford a Bullhead that'll take you off of the continent. Or an airship. Oh wait," She stopped herself, snapping her fingers, "Or you could just walk there." Her face fell flat, "I'm sure that'll make it hard for them to catch up to you."

Saphron gaped at the other girl, unable to find any way to refute her logic.

"Let's face it, the moment you guys leave, whoever's chasing you will know exactly where you're going," Terra said dryly, "It's just a matter of catching them off guard by going as soon as possible."

Damn, she wasn't wrong. If Raven had half a brain, she would know exactly where they were going. It's not like they could afford to head anywhere else. Vacuo was too far away, and Saphron didn't know enough about the continent to settle there. The same with Atlas, except she knew how much more expensive rent and facilities would be there. Vale was their only option, and the train to the port was the fastest and most inexpensive option they had.

"She had a point," Jaune said, arriving to the same conclusion Saphron had a few seconds later, "So I don't think wasting time arguing about it would help any."

Saphron glared a little at her brother. Whose side was he on, anyways?

"Well, I'm glad everyone agrees then," Terra said happily, pulling out her keys. "Let's go."

"Go?" Saphron asked, confused. "Wait, what?"

Terra arced a brow at her, jutting out a hip. "I'm driving you guys to the station. You really didn't think I would be fine with the two of you guys walking to the station in this weather, right? I mean, come on, take a look outside." Thunder crashed, as if to help drive in the point. "No arguments, let's go."

Without another word, Terra headed towards the front door, opening it up and sprinting out to the parking garage, leaving Saphron and Jaune standing there dumbfounded.

"You know, I didn't want to say this out loud," Jaune said, closing the front door slowly before turning to Saphron, "But she was definitely a keeper."

Saphron huffed out an angry breath, crossing her arms and refusing to comment, intent on waiting for Terra to pull the car up. Instead she decided to turn the line of questioning around.

"Have you said your goodbye's yet?" Saphron asked, not so subtly. There was only really one person that Jaune had to say anything to, and judging by his wince, Jaune had planned on putting it off for as long as possible.

"I've... got it handled." Jaune said carefully, rubbing the back of his neck. Saphron raised an eyebrow. Her big sister senses were tingling, telling her that he definitely did _not_ have it handled. But she let it go.

It wasn't her job to dictate his relationships. Still...

"If it was me, I would call or talk to them in person as soon as possible." Saphron made sure to get rid of any tones of lecture in her voice. She just wanted to give him some advice. It would be up to him if he took it or not. "It would be a shame leaving your friend with little to no notice."

Jaune turned away, expression anguished. "I don't—We don't have time."

Saphron closed her eyes. He had made his choice, whether he realized it or not.

She just hoped that it wouldn't bite him in the ass.

A car honked out in the middle of the road, drawing their attention to Terra, who waved for them to get in.

The ride to the station was silent, the weather so bad that even the radio wasn't functioning, just an amalgamation of static and noise.

Arriving was no less awkward, Terra insisting on helping them with their paltry amount of luggage, the three of them heading into the station. Buying a ticket was impossible, Terra seemingly finding a way to cut in front of them and buy them the tickets instead.

"Please," She insisted, pushing the tickets into their hands. "If this is the last time I'm going to see you guys, I would rest easy knowing that you guys have as much lien as you guys can to help you get home."

There was no use in arguing with her anymore, Saphron decided wearily. Terra was too smart and too stubborn to take no as an answer, and to Saphron's chagrin, she was right. Any little bit helped, and Terra was helping a lot.

"Terra," Saphron started softly. Jaune noticed the tone, and excused himself silently, wandering towards a small shop/stand to stare at the snacks at display. "I know I've said this before, but I _am_ sorry. You're amazing. And... and if there weren't people after—"

The other woman held out a finger, placing it on Saphron's lips, stopping her from talking. Terra shook her head. "Don't."

Saphron's eyes widened. This was the first time today that Terra actually sounded pained. But when the bespectacled woman's head rose, there were tears in her eyes.

"Please." Terra whispered.

Saphron nodded, not trusting herself to talk. She understood.

There was no reason at this point to offer any kind of false hope.

They were over.

And that was that.

Saphron gave Terra one last lingering hug, calling Jaune over, who embraced the woman as well, before the two of them headed into the train, Saphron determined not to turn back around.

"I'm sorry, Terra," Saphron whispered, not being able to help herself, and peeking backwards, seeing the woman kneeling on the ground, covering her face, tears pouring freely.

###

They were gone.

Pyrrha stood in the howling wind and pouring rain, not caring that it was soaking her all the way through.

She stood in front of Terra's home, eyes going in and out of focus.

Jaune was gone.

And all he left was a text on her scroll, with one small word.

 _Goodbye._

She wasn't sure if she was pissed, or devastated.

When Pyrrha finally turned around to head back home, she made her choice.

She was both.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: W00t, chapter finally uploaded. Sorry, I was out last week, so I didn't really have time to write anything. Hopefully this'll make up for it. Tell me what you guys think.

The storm front seemed to chase along the train.

Saphron watched as the clouds raced towards the speeding locomotive, the pouring rain obscuring everything like an oppressive curtain. She couldn't exactly hear the thunder above the chatter of people and the rumbling of the train against the tracks, but she could see the lightning streaking left and right, hitting random, unfortunate targets.

"What're you thinking about, sis?"

Saphron tore her attention away from the window, turning to look at her brother. Jaune didn't acknowledge it, actually watching the same storm with a tense frown.

"About Argus." She answered, turning to look at the storm with Jaune. "About the good times, and the bad times." She trailed off for a second, watching the storm advance. "Whether or not we're making the right choice."

"We are," Jaune answered almost instantly, Saphron catching his pained expression on the window. "It sucks, but we are," His voice was quiet, resigned.

Saphron hated it.

Digging into her bag, Saphron produced some lien and handed it to Jaune. "I know you have some lien already," She said before Jaune could say anything. "But this is the money that we would've used to buy our tickets. So..." She gestured towards the back of the train, where there would be snacks and drinks for sale. "Go wild."

Jaune's eyes lit up, no arguments coming from him now that he knew the money would be safe to use. Taking it gratefully, he gave Saphron a brief hug, muttering a thanks and a promise to come back in a second before carefully standing up and navigating through the aisle. Warmth spread through Saphron as she watched Jaune. She was glad to get his mind off of the move, and happy that, at least for a brief moment, he was happy.

Letting the seat recline a little bit more, Saphron's breathing slowed down a little, eyes drooping shut as she tried to get comfortable. There was so little time to sleep when the two of them had lived in Argus, and a lot of times Saphron had a hard time getting very good rest. Now, without the weight of rent and bills and such forced down on them, Saphron decided to take a little nap.

"Ahem."

Well. At least she tried.

Cracking open one eye, she found a tall guy standing across from her, a grin that could only be called sleazy slapped on his face. Glancing down, she noted the large mace-like weapon that was strapped onto his waist.

"Excuse me miss, I didn't mean to bother you," He said, practically bowing. Saphron had to hold in a laugh as she heard his painfully obvious attempt to deepen his voice. The fact that she was more than a little annoyed helped straighten out her giggles as well. "But I was wondering if you had signed up for the premium train insurance plan?"

Saphron arched an eyebrow.

"Premium insurance plan?"

He flashed obviously bleached teeth at her, deciding to take an uninvited seat next to her. Leaning just a little too close to her personal bubble, the greasy Huntsman started talking.

"Of course, of course. It's just a little upcharge to your ticket, but for the relatively small amount of lien, me and my team of fully qualified Huntsmen will keep an eye out for your belongings and safety." The man shrugged casually, something he must've practiced in the mirror. "And perhaps for a little bit of time with your lovely self, I could lower the price of the premium insurance plan." He winked at her, sending shivers down her spine.

Saphron gave the man a flat stare. Shake downs weren't a new thing for her, even if this one was gracious enough to sound polite about it. Unfortunately, Saphron wasn't sure she could deal with this one the same way she dealt with them back at the Branwen camp.

She was trying to keep a low profile, after all.

Heaving out a breath, Saphron plastered on a very obviously fake smile, eyes almost closed as she flashed her teeth.

"Wow. Thank you for the offer. Unfortunately, I think I'll have to decline." With that, Saphron turned her attention back towards the window. Looking at the reflection on the window, she watched the man scowl before smoothing his expression over, reaching towards Saphron.

"Hey now, let's not be unreasonable alright—" He started, before Saphron spun around, glaring at him sharply before the man could touch her. The intensity was enough for the man to flinch a little, stopping long enough that it became awkward as he drew his hand back. Still, he pushed through the frigid tones. Pulling out a small booklet, the man flipped it open, showing Saphron his Huntsman credentials. Reo Forest.

"I know you have some doubts about the insurance plan, but I assure you, I'm a bonafide Huntsman. See?"

Okay then. She'll bite.

"Well, Mr. Huntsman. I'm glad you're actually who you said you were. Still, that doesn't really mean anything to me. I bought my ticket, and I'm not really eager to spend any more money just to feel safe when I'm already inside of a well protected train carriage." Saphron crossed her arms. "What are you going to protect me from? Grimm inside of the train?" She cast a critical eye around the inside of the train, ignoring the slow flush creeping up Reo's face. Casting a polite smile, Saphron leaned against the window. "I think I'll be fine, thank you."

A shadow crossed over his face, scowl transforming the plastic politeness into apparent anger. Leaning even further into Saphron's space, he bared his teeth, an almost wolfish look on his face.

"I'd really reconsider that if I were you." His drew everything out slowly, hands gripping tightly against the armrest. "It would be a shame if something happened to you, and no one was there to protect your little self."

Reo stiffened, as if he felt a cold breeze go through him.

Or maybe it was the cold steel that was pressed against his back.

Jaune leaned over, whispering loudly to Saphron.

"Is there a problem here, sis?" Jaune asked, eyes never leaving Reo's. Saphron tilted her head a little, trying her best not to burst into giggles.

"I'm not sure. Is there a problem?" Saphron met the man's eyes, staring him down. It didn't take much more for him to receive the message. Eyes flaring with anger, he shook his head stiffly, mouth pursed.

"No." He grit out. "I was just leaving."

Jaune grunted, grabbing Reo's collar and lifting him out of the seat, plopping himself down in between his sister and the Huntsman. "Good." Jaune lifted a candy bar, offering it to Saphron, writing Reo out of his mind.

Face deep red, Reo gathered his ruined pride and puffed out his chest. "Well. Expect no help from a Huntsman if you get into trouble then." Saphron was sure that he meant it as a parting threat, but after everything that happened, there was no one that would've seen it as anything but a desperate attempt at salvaging whatever was left of his 'manliness'.

"Thank you," Saphron said, grabbing the bar from Jaune and unwrapping it, taking a bite out of it. She barely noticed Reo leaving in a huff as she moaned at the taste of rich chocolate. Sleep was evading her, but this was a very decent replacement for it

"What did he want?" Jaune asked, biting into his own bar.

She shrugged, trying to talk past the thick chocolate in her mouth. "Nothing really. Trying to hustle us out of hard earned lien." Jaune let out an 'ah', understanding crossing his expression. There wasn't much more need to explain, the both of them knowing that it wouldn't matter now that the situation was defused.

Technology was advanced on Remnant, and Mistral wasn't a slouch when it came to making sure they weren't trailing behind. The train was a engineered to carry passengers through Grimm infested lands after all, and do it quickly. Unfortunately, a train ride running almost clear across the continent would take several hours, and nothing could speed that trip up, especially the two of them.

So they found ways to entertain themselves, playing the classic 'I Spy', talking about mundane topics (making sure that they didn't approach the topic of Argus), and taking small naps in between the two of them, although neither could sleep for too long, Jaune too paranoid to fall into a deep sleep, and Saphron having a hard time finding a comfortable spot.

She had actually finally found a good way to stuff her bag in between the stiff armrests and contort her body into a semi-comfortable position when a vibration rumbled through the tracks, shaking her awake.

"What's—" Saphron blinked blearily, trying to find her bearings, looking at Jaune for any more information, but only finding confusion on his face as well. There wasn't much more time to think, as the two of them were thrown out of their seats, the train squealing loudly as it braked desperately.

The wheels hit something, a bump in the track maybe, and Saphron experienced weightlessness for a lifetime. Well, it felt like a lifetime to her, and at the same time, all of a brief second. She couldn't help but marvel at the feeling of floating off of the ground, before her thoughts were interrupted with the walls of the train, slamming into her side and whipping her neck to the side, only her last minute use of Aura keeping her alive.

Even if she had time to react to what had happened, there wasn't anything she could do. This was beyond her control, and the best thing she could do right now was hope that she had enough Aura to survive this, and that Jaune would going to be okay.

Aura flared again, almost blinding in the back of her eyelids as her back slammed against the windows, glass shattering, the metal bending for a second to try and support the force of the blow. Finding itself unable to do so, the window gave way, Saphron flying through the air, and out of the train, hitting snow and tracking a deep grove as she slid to a stop, Aura crackling into nonexistence.

Ears ringing, mind jumbled, Saphron laid there dazed, trying to find her bearings, unsure of how much time was passing. It could've been a second, or an hour for all she knew. She wasn't even sure if she had all her limbs attached, to be honest, let alone something as frivolous as knowing how much time had passed.

The first thing that she felt was a burning across her chest, as if her lungs were on fire. Then pain spread through her back, and her shoulder, which would've made her scream, if she had enough air to do so.

Shallow breaths were all that she could manage, and for a second, she wasn't sure if she was breathing anymore or not.

Through the pain was a feeling of ice creeping through her clothes.

Finally, her vision seemed to clear up.

White. Everything was white.

She had gone blind. Oh gods, she had gone blind.

No, wait. That was snow. It had to be snow.

Saphron tried to lift herself up, and found that she couldn't move any of her limbs, resorting to shifting her head inch by inch until the while left her vision, finding herself face to face with a pile up of train cars. She wasn't the only one laying in the snow, and she found it interesting that none of them moved. Maybe because most of them didn't have Aura. Or wasn't fast enough to react and activate their Aura.

She found it a little strange how clearly she was thinking right now, but she accounted it to shock.

Wait, did that mean she was bleeding?

And where was Jaune? Was he alright? Was he fast enough to use his Aura, or is he one of the still forms that Saphron was looking at right now?

That singular thought propelled dregs of strength through her arms, hands hitting the snow, lifting her slowly, but surely onto her knees. Everything screamed at her to stop, but she refused, refused, until she could make sure that Jaune was okay.

Jaune had to be okay.

"Jaune." Saphron croaked out, coughing a little before raising her voice, trying again. "Jaune!"

There was no answer, and dread swept through her, engulfing her for a second before she grabbed a hold of it, using it to stand up, shuffling through the snow towards the closest body she could find.

It was a woman, and definitely dead.

But not Jaune.

Thank the gods.

Saphron moved slowly, cataloguing the dead, and noting each one, making sure that none of them were her little brother. The wind blew through her, and she probably should've been freezing cold, but couldn't find enough energy to care. She would push past it. After all, she wasn't even shivering. In fact, she felt a little warm.

"Saphron!"

The word cracked through the air, bringing Saphron's head up, eyes fluttering open.

Jaune.

Something surged inside of her, and she moved, feet placing themselves in front of each other, picking her way through the snow and bodies, and past a decoupled carriage.

"Jaune..." Saphron covered her mouth as she found him pinned underneath two pieces of metal, several sharp points protruding a little too close to Jaune for her liking. She saw his hands, shaking to hold the metal up as much as possible, Aura constantly sparking as it prevented the sharp edges from cutting clean through his hands.

She scrambled closer, hands grabbing onto whatever she could purchase to help Jaune alleviate the weight. The pain pressing against her palms was nothing compared to the rest of her body, and she heaved upwards, Jaune pressing at the same time, gaining a few inches enough for Jaune to slide slowly out, Saphron letting the scrap go with a crash the moment she was sure that her brother was safe.

Her knees gave away around the same time, Saphron slipping towards the ground, eyes blurring in and out of focus.

"Sis!" The voice was far away, but she could feel hands hold her up. "I'm okay," She mumbled. She just needed some sleep. Yeah. That would be nice.

Warmth flooded through her, Aura sparking weakly back to life. It wasn't much, but it was enough for her to clear her mind again, finding Jaune's hands glowing gently, pushing Aura through her.

Lifting up a hand, Saphron pushed his hands gently away, sitting up slowly, trying her best not to wince too hard.

"I'm fine now." She whispered, wanting Jaune to keep whatever stock of Aura he had left. "Thank you."

Jaune looked conflicted, still wanting so much to help his sister, but knowing that unless she fell unconscious, she would rebuff any of his attempts. In the end, he gave her a nod, helping her get back up onto her feet.

She looked around, eyes adjusting to the glaring sun against the white snow. There wasn't really a way to ignore the penetrating cold though, her teeth chattering as she asked her brother a question. "Do you know where our packs are?" Jaune bit his lip, shaking his head.

"They're probably still in the train, right?"

Saphron pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Probably." She turned to look at Jaune, gauging his reactions before shrugging. "At least it'll be a little warmer inside then outside."

Jaune nodded, finally noticing how hard Saphron was shaking. "Yeah. Let's move."

They trudged through the snow, getting to the closest train car, Jaune tugging the door open, before holding out his arm, blocking Saphron from getting inside.

"What is it?" She tensed up, expecting trouble. "Is there someone in there?"

Jaune turned to her, expression grim, quiet before saying softly, "There were a lot of someones in here." Saphron's eyebrows raised, her mouth rounding out to a small 'o'. Dropping his arm now that Saphron would at least be a little prepared for whatever she was about to step through, Jaune moved in, pulling out a wickedly long knife.

Saphron hung outside for a second, head turning to look towards the snow. She couldn't stay outside for much longer in these clothes without the risk of getting frostbite. Sighing, Saphron took a ginger step in, teeth pressed so hard that her jaw was starting to hurt.

It was a massacre inside.

So many bodies strewn about, as if a child had gotten bored of playing with her dolls and thrown them aside. She just hoped that they had all died on impact.

"Are you going to be alright?"

Saphron tore her eyes away from a dead body, finding Jaune poking his head out past some doors, a large coat in one of his hands.

"Yeah," She swallowed, "I think I'll be fine."

Jaune waited for a second, making sure that Saphron wasn't going to throw up. Ducking back inside, it was another minute before he reappeared, handing her the large coat and tossing on a black jacket of his own.

"This isn't our car, but at least we'll have some protection against the cold," Jaune said, tugging at Saphron's jacket sleeves, rolling them up enough that her fingers could poke out. "Besides, it's not like these guys are gonna need them anymore."

"Jaune." Saphron berated, looking sternly at the boy, who gave a sheepish shrug.

"Can't move on if we can't joke about it, sis." Jaune said lightly, patting her on the shoulder before jumping back outside, holding out a hand to help Saphron down.

"It's a little disrespectful to treat it so lightly so soon, don't you think?"

Jaune turned away so that she couldn't see him roll his eyes. "It's never too soon. Trust me, once you joke about it, you feel a whole lot better."

Saphron crossed her arms, an older, different worry slipping into her stomach. Jaune was usually so good at acting normal that sometimes it was easy to forget how acquainted he was with death.

"Come on," Jaune said, holding out a hand. "Let's move onto the next one."

The two of them managed to take a couple steps forward before they heard a brutal scream, the hairs on both of the necks raising. They exchanged a glance at each other before taking off as quickly and as carefully as they could towards the noise.

Stepping over a mound of snow, they froze, finding the source of the noise.

Reo was on his knees, almost bent backwards from the force that Raven had on his neck, the woman actually unmasked for once, making it that much easier to see the boredom written across her face.

Saphron prayed that this was a nightmare, even thought she knew from how badly she was aching that this was anything but.

Red eyes snapped towards the two of them, Raven's blank expression cracking, slowly replacing itself with a vicious smile, her eyes glowing.

Snow started to fall.

"Well, well, well." Raven spoke softly, but it still carried towards them, the only sound that hadn't been buried in the snow. "It seems that I've finally found you."

Jaune stepped in front of Saphron, one arm held protectively in front of her. They didn't speak, simply content at staring at each other, Saphron almost able to feel the spark of tension rolling between them.

Raven lifted the Huntsman off of his feet, tossing him carelessly aside as she drew her blade, still as sharp and vicious as it was three years ago.

"I think you've had enough time to explore and be independent now." Raven took two steps forward. "It's time for you to return home."

Jaune bared his teeth, eyes narrowing. "I'd rather die than go back to the Tribe."

The words seemed to surprise the woman, eyebrows rising as she turned her attention towards Jaune.

"Then don't come back," Raven said simply, "You're not the one who ran away, after all."

Saphron couldn't blame the cold for making her shiver at that.

"She's not leaving either." Jaune said, finality in his voice. Raven's eyes lit up in amusement, a grin creeping onto her face.

"I didn't realize that you spoke for her."

"I'm confident that she would say the exact same thing."

Raven hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe. But perhaps I'll make the choice a little easier for her."

Speed blurred her image, moving so quickly that the snow seemed to explode around her, steel stretched towards Jaune. Saphron tried to warn him, but found that by the time she opened her mouth, Jaune had already reacted, crossing two knives together and using the leverage to slide the blade away from his neck.

Defense wasn't the only thing on his mind though, Jaune spinning around, trying to catch Raven with one of his boots.

The movement was simple, almost practiced as Raven leaned away, Jaune's sole missing by about a hair before she moved back in, spinning the blade so that she could strike with the pommel.

Jaune stepped in, knives flashing, enough of a threat for Raven to arrest her momentum, stepping back far enough to stay out of Jaune's reach.

That didn't stop Jaune though, who simply reversed the grip of one of the knives, throwing it deftly at Raven who was forced to dodge it, pulling her blade up to deflect another two that Jaune threw at almost the same time.

The exchange lasted all of maybe four seconds.

"Humph." Instead of a look of annoyance, Saphron thought she spotted satisfaction, maybe some smugness that didn't exactly match up with the situation. "You've improved."

"Thanks, I'll take that to heart when one of these finds your neck." Jaune said dryly, spinning a knife on one finger.

"Hah. Maybe a couple years from now, after you've worked your ass off, and I've accidentally fallen on my sword then."

The two of them tensed up, ready to explode into action again when Reo roared, pulling up his mace and pulling a hidden trigger, the head blasting towards Raven.

It was unexpected, and almost clever.

Reo didn't even react as a red blade sprouted through his chest, face frozen into a harsh scream as Raven pulled the blade out, letting him fall onto the snow.

"I hate being interrupted." Raven said casually, wiping her blade on the body. "Now, where were we?"

Jaune didn't answer, instead chucking another knife towards Raven, who flicked her blade almost contemptuously across her body, metal on metal ringing through the air.

Saphron laid a hand on Jaune's arm, stopping him for a second. He turned a fraction, looking at his sister, but trying his best to keep Raven in his field of vision. Saphron held out a hand.

"Give me one."

"What?"

Saphron rolled her eyes, reaching towards her brother's back, pulling out a knife with a blade about a big as the length of her hand. Jaune's expression darkened a little while watching Saphron handle the blade.

"Saph..."

She cut Jaune off with a look, before looking back towards Raven. There was tension bubbling inside of Saphron's stomach, and it only got worse when she picked out the spark of emotion behind Raven's eyes. Still, she had made up her mind.

She was tired of playing the damsel.

"Together." Saphron said firmly, no room in her voice for argument. Jaune stared at his sister for a little longer before shaking his head and turning his full attention towards their tormentor.

"Together," Jaune repeated, crouching low towards the ground. Saphron tried to mirror the stance, hoping that she would do well enough to at least distract Raven. Besides, Saphron had a feeling that Raven wasn't going all out for some reason. And she had another small, insistent voice that was telling her that Raven wasn't going to go out of her way to hurt her.

Again, snow exploded, Raven zooming towards them so quickly that Saphron really only had enough time to hold her blade up in front of herself, hoping that Jaune would react appropriately.

Knowing that her trust wasn't misplaced, Jaune swung a knife in a half circle, intercepting the speeding Raven, other hand stabbing out with another knife to try and pierce the one of her kidneys. Pushing down harshly with her other hand, Raven made Jaune miss, slamming her forearm across Jaune's face, making him stagger backwards one step, enough for Raven to reorient her blade to pierce the boy.

Saphron finally moved, knife held in both hands as she swung downwards, getting close to try and slice across the woman's neck. It was obviously telegraphed, and too slow for Raven not to do anything, but it had the intended effect of interrupting her attack against Jaune as she pulled her sword back, letting the knife fall across the blade, metal ringing as they met.

It gave Jaune just enough time to step back into the fight, tossing one of his throwing knives underhanded, before lunging to Raven's unexposed side, catching her off guard as she moved to dodge the thrown knife, as well as keep Saphron apprehended.

Aura flashed as Jaune skimmed Raven, tearing through her skirt and hitting skin.

Raven bared her teeth, a half glare and a half smile morphing her face into something bone chilling. Too fast to block, Raven's bare fist slammed against Saphron's temple, knocking her on the snow, the knife she borrowed from Jaune spinning out of her hand, landing softly in the snow.

"Saph!" Jaune tried to move around the woman, jumping back as Raven's sword aimed to bisect him from the waist.

"That was almost clever," Raven growled, "I've got to give you guys a few points for that. But I think playtime's over."

Red eyes glowed with a primal power as Raven lifted a finger, pointing at Jaune, whose hair started to stand on end.

Raven's eyes narrowed before she spun on her heels, pointing in the distance, the clouds above her tossing a blinding lightning bolt past the pile up, thunder deafening.

Jaune and Saphron just sat there, wondering what the hell just happened.

"Well," A voice rasped, "Looks like my luck's holding out for once."

Raven scowled, before lashing out a hand, wind picking up out of nowhere and picking up one of the train cars, hurling it towards the source of the voice.

As it crashed into the snow, a bird shot through the air, dodging another lightning bolt before landing in the form of Qrow, who stood up from his crouch with a smug grin.

"Hey, was that a train car, or were you just happy to see me?"

Raven threw a blast of flame hot enough to melt the surrounding snow towards the grizzled man, who did another quick transformation to evade the trail of heat. He let out a little laugh as he transformed back into a man.

"Well, Oz is gonna be overjoyed to know where that I've finally found the Spring Maiden, huh?"

"Brother," Raven spat out, almost like a curse as she waved her blade in front of her. "What are you doing here?" The man shrugged carelessly, pulling out a flash and opening it, pulling a swing from it before reversing the process and stowing it away.

"Oz says I don't take enough vacation days, so I thought, what the hell. I don't get around Mistral enough, maybe the waitresses around these parts are more receptive to my rugged charm," He sighed theatrically, holding up both of his hands. "Swing and a miss, unfortunately."

Raven ignored his snark, eyes straying back towards the blondes. Qrow caught the look though, lips flattening into a thin line.

"Hope you don't mind sis, but I kind of need to talk to the kids there. Gotta make sure they're alright and all that. Side job of being a teacher and all that." Qrow put both of his hands in his pockets. "You don't mind, do you?"

Raven glared balefully at him.

Qrow let out a small chuckle. "Heh. Didn't think so."

Tension rose to the point Saphron had a hard time moving, her mind cautioning her, telling her that a wrong move would end in a Saphron sized smear.

These two were serious business.

Saphron had to wonder what made two siblings hate each other so much.

Suddenly, inexplicably, Raven relaxed, a small grin appearing on her face. Turning to Saphron, her eyes narrowed, before she lashed out, too quick for either Jaune or Qrow to react, her blade already out by the time Jaune could even stand up, Saphron leg erupting into hot pain, her mind finally realizing that she had just been stabbed in the calf.

Raven jumped, turning into a, well, raven, before taking off, a cawing laugh echoing through the snowy land as she flew towards the setting sun.

"What the hell did she do that for?" Saphron squeezed out, eyes blurring from the tears. Jaune scrambled towards her, eyes glued on the gaping wound. "Fucking petty," she ground out, hissing as Jaune laid a finger a little too close.

"Actually, I think there might've actually been a reason for that," Qrow said, looking out towards the distance. Jaune looked up, his expression dropping in such a way that was too much for Saphron to ignore. Turning slightly, she looked towards the same direction as the other two, finding Grimm popping up past the snow, eyes flashing with mindless rage as they all approached.

Jaune pulled out another knife, eyes focused on the emerging Grimm, before turning towards Qrow as he put a hand on Jaune's shoulder.

"I've got it," He said, for once incredibly serious. "You think you can patch up your sister and make your escape?"

Jaune nodded, eyes set in determination. "I can do one better," he said, before pumping his Aura into Saphron, the wound already starting to stitch itself together, albeit a little slowly. Qrow whistled lowly, impressed.

"Not bad, kid. That should get her into running shape in no time." Qrow pulled out his sword, a gargantuan piece of metal that he was somehow handling as easily as Jaune with a dagger. "I guess it's my turn to impress now." He drawled, walking casually towards the horde of Grimm. "Fun."

Saphron and Jaune sat together, trying to keep some warmth in between them as they watched an actual Huntsman in action, leaping above a Beowulf and cleaving it cleanly in half, spinning to avoid the clumsy arms of the last Ursa, blasting its head open with his sword.

She nudged her brother, who looked at his ticking watch, eyebrows collecting towards the center of his brow.

"Three minutes, four seconds."

Saphron whistled lowly. There had to have been dozens of Grimm attacking him at once, and he almost seemed bored when dealing with the horde.

"Well," Jaune said slowly, standing up and helping Saphron onto her feet. "I'm impressed."

"Thanks, brat." Qrow had already stowed his sword away, the flask replacing it in his hand. "Ugh. I can't believe I didn't expect that Raven would pull such a low blow to get away." He groaned as he straightened his back a little, his spine letting out a small pop. "Hate sleeping on a train. Can never find a comfortable position."

Turning his attention back on the Arc siblings, he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm surprised you two haven't taken off in a random direction yet."

Saphron shrugged. "We're not exactly sure where we are, so I don't think it would be a good idea for us just to get lost and die of hypothermia. Besides, Raven might be hiding somewhere to ambush us."

Qrow nodded, "Good thinking. Glad you guys can actually make sound judgments at this age." He shook his head, "I've seen way too many kids dive head into something they couldn't handle."

Saphron didn't comment on that, instead letting out a sigh, "Yeah, well. Unfortunately, it seems that the safest option for now is to stick with you."

"Hey, let's not sound so down about that, " Qrow said, offended. "I'll have you guys know that I'm a riot."

Neither of the blondes answered, happy to ignore the older man, who shook his head and muttered something about a lack of respect from kids these days before pulling out his scroll.

"Who're you calling?" Jaune asked. Qrow held a finger up to his lips, the motion mocking. Instead of answering, Qrow waited for someone to pick up, mumbling about what happened to the train, and how they needed some assistance, and maybe send some backup.

A couple minutes passed where Qrow only answered with grunts and a couple words that didn't exactly make much sense, except the word 'maiden'. Finally, he stowed the scroll away.

"Alright, brats, here's the deal." Qrow pointed to one of the train cars. "Get in one of those bad boys and warm up, help's on the way. Then, maybe we can all sit down and have a good chat."

"A chat?" Jaune asked.

"With who?" Saphron asked at the same time.

The man strode over to the train car he had pointed at, wrenching the door open. "Who else?" Qrow gestured for them to get in.

"Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon." Qrow smiled at their stunned expressions. "And my boss."

A/N: Welp, that's the end of the Argus Arc right there. Neat. Now onto Vale.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Whew, this one was a doozy to write. I kind of rushed the ending a little bit, really sorry about that, but I hope it's still real good. I'm glad some people are starting to like it, so yay! Tell me what you guys think.**

* * *

It was surprising how beautiful Mistral looked from up in the air.

Saphron peered through the Bullhead windows, eyes trailing vegetation, wildlife, and lake pockets. Even the roaming Grimm were oddly majestic, as if the extreme height gave her a different perspective on everything else.

She felt a presence walk up beside her, the smell of alcohol narrowing down who it could be drastically.

"It never really gets old, does it?" Qrow rasped, his flask sloshing as he brought it towards him. "Years after my first flight, and it still takes my breath away." He paused for a second, "You know, when I'm not crash landing or fighting for my life, anyways."

Saphron exhaled out of her nose, resting her chin on one of her hands. "Funny. That was almost poetic." Qrow grinned at the young woman, shrugging modestly.

"What can I say? I get a little flowery when I'm tipsy."

A blond eyebrow raised, Saphron wondering when Qrow wasn't tipsy.

"I can't believe you guys can even stand looking down there like that." Jaune said tightly, making Saphron turn in sympathy.

Aura had helped Jaune soothe his violent motion sickness, but there must've been something psychological as well, with how tightly he was holding his armrests.

At least there wasn't any danger of him throwing up. Saphron could still remember when they were younger and their family took them out pretty much anywhere.

Oh gods, the smell.

Saphron walked over to Jaune, getting him to lean over a little so that she could rub his back. It helped him relax just enough for his shoulders to lower, and so that he would stop warping the armrests. Qrow snorted a little, shaking his head before he left back into the cockpit, pestering the female pilot.

After another minute, Saphron whispered to Jaune. "Are you gonna be alright?"

Jaune let out a shaky breath, nodding slowly. "Yeah," He smiled a little at her. "Just had too many bad encounters with Bullheads, you know?"

"Really?" Saphron asked, frowning a little. "I can't remember you having that many stories about Bullheads back in the Branwen tribe."

"Hah," Jaune chuckled a little, "Too many mishaps to talk about."

"That many? How many times did you fall out of a Bullhead?" Saphron asked, shaking her head. Jaune grinned saying something about way too many times.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, for once, with the two of them chattering for a little bit before Jaune decided to let Saphron sleep for a little bit. After all, he couldn't remember the last time she had slept for more than five hours at a time.

"And from what Qrow says, there's still a good half a day before we get to Vale." Jaune shrugged. "Might as well get some sort of sleep in, right?" Saphron was forced to agree, finding the softest bench to rest her head on, eyes closing, listening to the sound of the Bullhead.

It didn't even feel like a minute later before something pushed her awake, making her grumble and push whatever it was away.

"Saph," the voice was quiet, but insistent. "We're here."

Here? Here where? They couldn't be in Vale already, could they? It had only been a minute or two since she closed her eyes.

Sitting up slowly, Saphron felt a yawn tear from her mouth, limbs stretching upwards as she blinked the sleep away from her eyes. Yikes. It certainly felt like she had slept for a while. After rubbing her eyes, she looked outside, surprised to find how dark the skies were.

"Hey sis," Jaune was standing next to one of the windows, hands leaning against the window. "You might want to take a look at this."

Sliding off of the bench, Saphron padded over, eyes widening as she looked at the view. And what a view it was.

The city of Vale stretched out beautifully. There was such a difference to Argus that Saphron was astounded that both of them would be considered cities. There had to be different words to describe different cities, right? Even though the skies were dark, there was so much of the city that was washed aglow with midnight light that it looked like it was daytime down there. Cars and bikes meandered through the streets, people wandering around as if it was five in the afternoon, and not closer to ten at night.

Saphron didn't think she would forget this sight any time soon.

"So that's what Beacon looks like..." Jaune murmured, directing Saphron's glance towards where he was looking.

Saphron found herself awestruck for a second time in less than five minutes.

Beacon was... majestic. There wasn't any other word to describe it. Set on top of an enormous cliff, the building overlooked the city, as if declaring that everything underneath its shadow was under its protection. Spires and domes covered the grounds, a simple pattern of white brick making the sight almost ethereal.

Maybe she had died and gone to heaven after all.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Qrow stood in between the two siblings, watching the same sight, although the activity hidden behind his eyes was much more conflicted, something sour tinting the simple admiration.

"It is." Saphron said quietly, watching it get closer and closer.

There was a swish of liquid as Qrow took a swallow from his flask. "You'll get used to it." He rasped, before turning away.

Landing didn't take much longer, the Bullhead pulling up and hovering for a second as it requested permission to land. An elbow nudged her in the ribs, Jaune leaning over and pointing towards the landing platform, where two figures were slowly walking towards them.

"Sis, sis, look at _her_."

Saphron rolled her eyes, squinting a little to try and bring a bit more clarity into her sight. Focusing on the blonde woman striding towards them, Saphron was...

She whistled lowly, eyes following the woman as she strode up to them. The stern looking woman definitely had a very eye catching walk, that's for sure.

"Right?" Jaune murmured, appreciating the same view as her.

The two siblings usually had differing opinions on women, but for once, it seemed that they could both agree on one thing.

That professor was smokin'.

The Bullhead lurched a little as it landed, bringing the both of them out of their reverie, Qrow hitting a side button to open up the side, a platform extending for them to walk on.

The two of them followed slightly behind Qrow, unsure of what to say to the two strangers.

"You know, after roughing it in Mistral for months, your kind, gentle face is exactly what I need to break me out of my funk, Glynda." Qrow drawled, holding his arms out as if inviting her for a hug. The blonde woman, Glynda presumably, simply raised an eyebrow, but did nothing else as Qrow approached her. It was almost a like a game of chicken, one that Qrow bowed out of relatively quickly, rolling his eyes and stuffing his hands back into his pockets, muttering something about sticks and asses.

Ignoring the grizzled drunkard, the man in the green suit strode up to meet them, a soft smile on his face, his cane clicking against the stone.

"Hello there. I hope you two had a good flight?"

Saphron nodded, crossing her arms. "It was a lot better than our train ride, that's for sure." The man chuckled, shaking his head.

"Yes, I had heard about that. It's quite tragic that so many lost their lives because of it, but at least we can be somewhat grateful that there were some survivors."

The older Arc sibling nodded slowly, noting how different this man was compared to most others she had spoken to. He seemed older than he looked, even with the timeless face. His eyes were steady, but it seemed like they were constantly noting something that Saphron didn't notice, and the way he spoke... It sounded as if he had spent years practicing to speak in that gentle, non-threatening manner.

Saphron wasn't exactly sure if she liked this man or not.

"Do you guys work at Beacon?" Jaune asked, finally gathering the courage to say something. The man's eyes crinkled into a smile at the question.

"Ah, apologies. My manners seem to be slipping in my old age," The man joked, "I am Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. And this is my deputy, and combat instructor, Glynda Goodwitch."

And what a witch she was, Saphron thought to herself, before she mentally slapped herself, trying to get her mind straight. Was this a semblance? This Goodwitch had to have some sort of semblance that was unbalancing Saphron. Pushing through the haze of hormones, Saphron smiled and nodded at the both of them.

"It's nice to meet you two. I'm Saphron, and this is my brother, Jaune." Saphron placed a hand on her chest, tilting her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you." The greeting might be a little stiff, but a waitress's greeting would probably be better than a Branwen greeting.

"A pleasure," Ozpin said, Professor Goodwitch agreeing with a nod. "I'm glad to receive the two of you at this prestigious academy. Perhaps we can show you guys where you'll be sleeping for the moment, and we can continue this conversation tomorrow at a more convenient time? I'm sure the both of you are quite tired."

The headmaster was right about that, Saphron thought to herself, agreeing happily as she tried her best not to let out a yawn. Even though she had slept for more than half the trip, her body was still very happy to continue where it left off.

Leading the way, Ozpin gave them the limited tour, pointing out places as they walked past, talking about the history that surrounded classrooms and areas, as well as asking questions that didn't require too much participation from the two siblings. The blonde professor was quieter, but not rude, simply content to trail behind them, bringing up the rear as if to make sure that no one would try and attack them from behind.

Saphron was pretty confident that no one would be so confident to attack them in the middle of Beacon grounds, but she appreciated the thought nonetheless.

Arriving at their destination, Professor Goodwitch procured two shiny new scrolls, and handed them to the siblings, one for each.

"New scrolls, with updated software that will give you access to basic facilities, as well as act as the key to your rooms. It would be in your best interest not to lose them, as it may take a week or so to replace them, and I'm sure you wouldn't want that kind of inconvenience in your lives." Ozpin let out a chuckle, opening the door to the room and letting them in as they continued to admire the scrolls.

Never in their lifetimes had they gotten this close to owning such state of the art technology. From living in a large family, to living in a bandit camp, to struggling to pay rent, scrolls that probably went from factory straight to their hands was something they never really considered even trying to buy.

When they finally managed to tear their eyes away from the scrolls, they transferred their awe to the room. It was, well, spacious. Sparsely furnished, sure, but that was something they were used to. The two beds looked like queens, there were drawers and desks for the both of them, as well as a walk-in closet that was bigger than Jaune's room back in Argus.

They were silent for a long time, simply wandering around, noting how clean and new everything seemed to be.

"I hope everything's to your liking?" Ozpin's question cut through the silence, amusement, as well as a softer emotion tinning his voice.

"It's so... nice." Saphron finished nicely, not sure of what else to say.

"It's a little under decorated," Professor Goodwitch spoke up, stepping in front of them. "But if there's anything that the two of you need, please speak to me, as long as it's within reason, of course."

Saphron and Jaune had no idea what to say. The two of them just ended up gaping at the room again, wondering if someone was vacuuming the ceiling from how clean it was.

"Well, it seems like you guys are going to need some time to get accustomed to the living spaces," Ozpin said, clapping his hands softly to gather their attention once more. "We'll get out of your hair for now, and Professor Goodwitch will pick the two of you up for breakfast at around nine. How does that sound?" The two of the nodded their heads, eager at the sound of food. "Very good. Have a good night, Mister and Miss Arc."

The door shut with a gentle click and an almost indecipherable whirr of locks, leaving the siblings alone to set down their luggage and explore, opening up drawers and the bathroom. It didn't take long for Jaune to jump onto the bed furthest away from the window, claiming it with a shout. Saphron took a tamer path, sitting down on the bed. She couldn't help but feel the sheets though, wondering how something could feel so soft.

Beacon treated its residents well.

"Can you believe this right now?"

Saphron shifted to look at Jaune as he spoke, spread out against the sheets on the bed.

"Believe that we're being handed all of this stuff for seemingly no reason, or the fact that we're back in Vale after all of this time?" She asked, getting a small shrug from Jaune.

"Yes. Both." Jaune frowned, sitting up, Saphron marveling at how the bed didn't make a sound as he shifted. "What do you think they want with us?"

"I don't know," Saphron answered honestly, thinking a little bit about the question. "Qrow was asking about Raven a lot. Maybe it's something to do with her. Maybe Qrow wants to take the tribe from her?" She shrugged. "Maybe Ozpin just wants to clean up the bandits. Who knows?"

Jaune nodded, pursing his lips. "Do you think they're giving us all of this stuff because they're going to make us fight against Raven?"

"I hope not," Saphron shuddered at the thought of going face-to-face with the woman again. She wasn't sure what she was thinking when she tried a couple hours earlier. Maybe she just had a death wish.

"Me too." Jaune said quietly, the both of them falling silent as they thought about the implications of accepting everything that Ozpin had just given to them.

Raven had always cautioned them about accepting handouts.

Was she right?

"Well, no reason to think about this now," Saphron said brightly, hoping that she could distract Jaune, at least for tonight. "How about helping me unpack some of our stuff, then getting some rest? I think a good night's sleep is exactly what we both need for our Auras to get up to full, yeah?"

Jaune nodded, jumping off the bed, giving his sister a grin.

"Yeah."

* * *

Saphron's body hates her.

She didn't know what she did to earn its wrath, but she just wants to apologize to it. Because there's no way that her body _didn't_ hate her and made her wake up at five in the morning.

That just wouldn't make any sense.

Covering her face with an arm, she let out a soft groan, making Jaune turn in his sleep. She didn't want to keep Jaune awake with her moving, so Saphron decided it would be best for her to get up for now.

Just because she couldn't sleep didn't mean that Jaune had to suffer the same fate.

Making sure that she had her brand new scroll on her, Saphron shut the door behind her with a click, muttering for Jaune to get some more sleep, in which he grumbled an affirmative and rolled over, his breathing deepening almost instantly.

She envied how easily Jaune fell asleep.

Padding through the hallways, Saphron took some time absorbing the beautiful architecture, along with the art that dotted the walls and hallways. Museums would happily slit throats for a chance to own some of this stuff, Saphron thought to herself, leaning towards a depiction of the end of the Color Wars.

How much money did Beacon have, anyways?

"Not as much as you would think, actually."

Saphron nearly jumped out of her skin, whirling around to meet the Headmaster, who was leaning on his cane, sipping something hot out of a coffee mug. Presumably coffee.

"Ah, I didn't mean to scare you, Ms. Arc. Apologies."

Holding one hand to her chest, Saphron waved the apology away, trying to get her heart back to manageable speeds.

"It's my fault for not noticing, Headmaster." She countered, giving a reassuring smile.

Ozpin took another sip out of the mug, playful sparks seeming to dance behind his eyes. "You can be quite the diplomat, can't you?" Saphron raised an eyebrow at the question. "It's a compliment, I assure you. I suppose after spending so many years with Huntsmen and Huntresses, I can't help but appreciate a normal conversation."

"Are Huntsmen really that...?" Saphron trailed, trying to find a good word.

"Eccentric?" Ozpin supplied helpfully, getting a nod from Saphron. "Alas, it is the overwhelming minority that concern themselves with social cues and the like. We're all simply too busy trying to save the world most days," Ozpin let out a chuckle, shaking his head at that. "But enough about that. I hope everything's alright? Surely you don't mean to be awake so early in the morning?"

Saphron rubbed her arm sheepishly. "I've always had a hard time sleeping. And a lot of the sleep that I get isn't very restful."

Ozpin nodded at that, "I can understand that. Sometimes, I find myself lying awake, thinking about what needs to be done, and if I've done everything I can for the people I care about." He gestured to Saphron. "Walk with me."

Saphron followed him, a couple steps behind as he continued to speak.

"I've read what I could about you and your brother from Qrow's reports. It seems that the two of you have made the best of some very unfortunate situations. I'm quite honestly impressed." Ozpin pushed open a pair of double doors, leading to the outside of the academy. "One of these days, I would love to sit down with you and hear it from you."

"Maybe someday," Saphron hedged, trying her best not to swirl around and capture the sights. Daylight changed the way Beacon looked, but made it no less majestic. With the light, the Beacon grounds seemed more welcoming, warm, like an unspoken invitation to set up a picnic.

"That's good enough for me." Ozpin opened another set of doors, gesturing her into the Beacon cafeteria. "Food?"

He didn't have to say that twice.

Saphron gathered up a small bowl of fruit, helping herself to a large cup of coffee as well, taking a large sip out of it before sighing. Coffee was the one expense that she was always willing to pay for, and it had been almost two days since she had a decent cup.

She could safely say that Beacon didn't skimp out on the coffee budget either.

The two of them sat down at a random table, Saphron taking bites out of her cut up fruit while Ozpin opened up his scroll, reading news articles and sipping his coffee. It was kind of surreal, the two of them sitting there in a cafeteria meant to house hundreds of students. Every time her fork clattered against the bowl, it echoed in a way that usually would've been unnoticeable if there were any more than two people, or if either was talking.

But it seemed as if Ozpin was fine with no talking, happy enough for the company.

Finally, Saphron finished her fruit and coffee, feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. Ozpin noticed and stood up slowly, stowing his scroll away and leading Saphron out of the cafeteria.

"Well, it was certainly nice spending some time alone with you, Miss Arc," Ozpin said cheerfully, "Unfortunately, I must take my leave for now, as I have much to do to prepare for the start of the year. For now, please feel free to wander around, although I would advise you not to leave Beacon grounds." That wasn't a request that was going to be hard to obey, seeing as how 'leaving Beacon grounds' would practically mean jumping off the cliffs or hijacking a Bullhead. "We'll see each other in a few hours. Have a good rest of the morning, Miss Arc."

Saphron watched Ozpin as he strode away, cane hitting stone.

Indulging in her childish wonder, Saphron wandered Beacon grounds, exploring nooks and crannies that most would've overlooked. It was easier to peer into vacated classrooms when there was no one else to judge you on it, after all.

Time flew by as she continued to walk through the halls, noting where she was at all times. It was a habit that she developed while living with the Branwen tribe, helping her navigate the mess of tents and somehow manage to be mostly on time for the things that needed to be done.

After familiarizing herself with Beacon, Saphron moseyed back to her room, pressing the door open after a brief knock, making sure Jaune knew that she would be entering.

Walking into the room, she was greeted with the familiar sight of Jaune strapping numerous sharp objects onto his body, rolling a loose sweater over his chest to cover the all. Saphron rolled her eyes as he struggled to slide his foot into a boot, sighing in resignation before he pulled out a small knife from it.

"One day I'll be able to fit three in a boot," Jaune said forlornly, "But I guess today's just not the day." Saphron just shook her head in amusement.

"Are you done?" She asked, reaching over to grab a towel and head towards the shower. "I swear one day you're going to stab yourself with how many knives you stick onto yourself."

Jaune shrugged, tossing her a grin. "Oh, please. I've lost count of how many times I've cut myself with these things. Aura's a magical thing, though."

Saphron snorted, "Preach," before shutting the bathroom door and stepping into the shower, letting out a gasp as hot water hit her shoulders. Hot water was so nice, Saphron thought to herself as she rolled her shoulders and let the heat loosen up any tight muscles. She slowly turned the heat higher and higher, until it became just under unbearable, and just stood there for a minute. It wasn't often that she could do that, always mentally calculating how much money was running down the drain during a shower when they lived in Argus.

She didn't know exactly how much time passed, but she wasn't really in a hurry.

Eventually, her mind started to remind herself that she did have something to do eventually, and Saphron reluctantly turned the shower off, stepping out and toweling off, wrapping herself up before stepping outside.

Jaune was used to seeing her like this after all, having lived in a cramped apartment with her for three years. Normally, he just made a slightly grossed out face before turning away, returning to whatever business he had been doing a minute earlier.

Professor Goodwitch, however, was _not_ used to the sight.

"Miss Arc!" The blonde teacher exclaimed, eyes widening as Saphron closed the bathroom door. Quickly, the professor stepped back out of the room, slamming the door shut.

Saphron just stood there, face a furious shade of red as Jaune fell off the bed, laughing his ass off. Palming her face, Saphron went over to her side of the bed and hurriedly putting some clothes on, calling out that she was decent as she shoved her legs through a pair of jeans, buttoning them up quickly.

Tentatively, Professor Goodwitch opened the door again, peering inside carefully to make sure that everyone in the room was decent. Clearing her throat, she stepped through again, thoroughly prepared to pretend that the last minute hadn't happened.

"W-well, I hope that the both of you are ready to talk with the Headmaster?"

Saphron glanced at the mirror propped against one of the walls, noting that she hadn't wrung out all of the moisture in her hair yet, nor had she combed it yet.

"Perhaps another few minutes, then." Professor Goodwitch said, noting the look on Saphron's face. "I'll let the Headmaster know that we will be coming shortly."

Saphron smiled at the teacher gratefully, grabbing a hairdryer and blowing out her hair, pulling through some of the strands with her fingers to prevent them from tangling too badly. There wasn't any time to do anything fancy with it, and quite frankly, Saphron was never the type to do that anyways, happy enough to pull her hair into a ponytail.

Glynda lead the two of them to the Headmaster's office, the elevator ride filled with awkward silence.

The door announcing their arrival with a soft sound, Professor Goodwitch strode through, quick to take her place beside Ozpin, both of her hands clasped behind her back. Jaune and Saphron walked through a little slower, absorbing the huge space, and the intricate gears that hung above them.

Shuffling through some papers, Ozpin signed something before laying it aside, smiling at the siblings.

"I'm glad that you didn't manage to get lost, Miss Arc. I hope you like what you've seen so far of the academy?"

Jaune gave her a questioning look, which she answered back with a look that she hoped said that they would talk later.

"Yes, sir. Beacon's beautiful."

"I'm happy to hear that," Ozpin took a sip out of his mug, "My predecessors worked hard on making Beacon what it is today." The man glanced away for a second, a faraway look on his face before he focused back on the pair.

"Now, I've read the report that Qrow sent me, but I would like to ask a few clarifying questions, if that's alright with the both of you?"

They nodded, and Ozpin looked down at his desk, skimming what looked to be hand-written notes.

The next half hour was filled with questions of how they knew Raven, where the two of them had been, what they had experienced since the attack that had wiped out the rest of their family so many years ago. When Ozpin came to realize that Jaune had been participating in Raven's raids three years ago, the line of questioning focused on the blond boy for a little while, Ozpin asking him what he had to do, as well as his combat prowess.

"Well," Ozpin said after Jaune finished explaining what happened in the three years that Raven had personally 'trained' him. "I'm sorry to hear that you had to go through all of that. Raven was never the mentoring type, and it seems that the only way she knew how to train someone was through hard experience." He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "While experience is a good teacher, it can also be one of the hardest."

Jaune said nothing, not really caring about the apology. It had happened, and there wasn't anything Jaune could do to change it. The only thing he _could_ do was learn from it, and make sure that he never had to go through something like that again. Raven was never going to get her hands on him again.

Not while he was still breathing, that was.

Ozpin turned his attention on Saphron. "And Raven didn't train you at all, Miss Arc?" Saphron shook her head.

"She never seemed interested in me," She said, shrugging. "I was just kind of the maid of the tribe, making sure that there was always something to eat, and try to control the mess that was always there. But never any training, at least not from her."

"Oh?"

"Her... apprentice gave me some pointers," Saphron said slowly, "Just enough to help me defend from any handsy bandits." Professor Goodwitch scowled at that, bringing the temperature of the room down a few degrees. "And it worked, mostly. Although sometimes I just wonder if it wasn't because Vernal was watching over my shoulders," Saphron joked a little, hoping that it would get a smile from the blonde professor.

"I see," Ozpin said, steepling his fingers. "And this... Vernal. Were the two of you close?"

Saphron hesitated for a second.

"We were... comfortable with each other," Saphron said, not quite answering the question. It seemed to be enough for Ozpin though, who nodded.

"Very good. Thank you for your cooperation, this information will help us greatly," Ozpin said, casting a look at Glynda. "While we have you here, we were hoping to inquire about your futures."

"Our futures?" Saphron asked.

Ozpin nodded, leaning back against his chair. "Yes. We were wondering what the two of you were planning on doing now that you have escaped Raven?"

The two of them looked at each other, a conversation going at the speed of thought.

"I guess... I suppose we'll keep running," Saphron said slowly, looking back at the two adults. "We can't really stay in one place forever. Raven always seems to know where to find us in the end." She shrugged. "No place is really safe for long."

"I would like to politely disagree, Miss Arc." Ozpin said, "It seems that Raven actually has quite the aversion for Beacon grounds these days."

Saphron raised an eyebrow, heart thudding quickly. "What're you saying?"

"I'm saying that the two of you would be safe in Beacon, if you are willing to stay."

The two of them looked at each other again, another conversation playing out.

"You're not forcing us to stay?" Jaune finally asked, getting to the question the two of the them were wondering about. Ozpin let out a small smile.

"No. While I would greatly recommend for the two of you to stay here, I am not going to imprison you here, as Raven did. If you two truly desired, you may leave here the moment you leave this office."

Well.

Saphron appreciated the gesture. The fact that Ozpin was even giving them the illusion of choice was something that she appreciated. Even if everyone in the room knew there really wasn't much of a choice in the end.

"What do you plan for us to do if we decide to stay?" Saphron asked.

Ozpin's glasses flashed as he shifted, bringing his mug up to his lips.

"I plan to give the two of you a welcoming home, at least until the two of you can support yourselves." He said, "Mister Arc, I would be happy to extend an offer to study at Beacon Academy this year. We would like to measure your capabilities beforehand, but I'm confident that you would make a stellar Huntsman."

Jaune blinked, turning to face Saphron, his expression shining with hope.

Saphron, on the other hand, bit her lip, mulling it over.

It wasn't a bad choice, if Saphron thought about it. Jaune would have a way to channel the aggression that Raven had recklessly brought out of him, and it would be in an environment that would be carefully monitored and controlled. On the other hand...

"This would be the end of a normal life, wouldn't it, sis?" Jaune asked softly. She looked at him, a shaky smile on her face.

"I'm pretty sure that a normal life was pretty much a pipe dream for us, anyways," She said, just as quietly.

"I can understand your reservations," Ozpin said, polite enough to pretend not to have heard what they had just said, "But I can assure you that Jaune would have the best education Vale would have to offer. Even if he does not end up taking the role of a Huntsman, our education is thorough enough to send our graduates to any career that they wished to seek."

Saphron's ears perked up at that.

"Wait, so you guys actually teach general education here as well?"

This time it was Professor Goodwitch who answered. "Well, of course we do. Surely you didn't think that we would take seventeen year olds and simply hammer in how to fight Grimm without anything else to back them up?"

Saphron coughed into the sleeve of her shirt, making the blonde professor roll her eyes.

"Contrary to popular beliefs, we _do_ make sure that all students have a good standing in general education. Huntsmen and Huntresses aren't just to be Grimm exterminators after all. They need to be someone for the masses to look up to, and we can't just sit there and be content with ignorance, after all."

"Professor Goodwitch is correct," Ozpin spoke up, "Huntsmen have many different, varied roles, in which sound reasoning and quick thinking are important to factor in. What better way to cultivate that than a rigorous class of physics, or math?"

The mentions of basic education made Jaune deflate more and more.

"Uh," He interrupted, raising a hand, "Does that mean there's going to be tests and homework?"

Ozpin smiled, taking another sip out of his mug. "Why, that's very much what it means, Mister Arc."

"Oh," Jaune said, slumping a little. "Maybe we should take some time to—"

"We'll take it." Saphron said, cutting off her little brother.

Saphron was going to make sure that Jaune came out with a decent education, whether he wanted it or not.

"Sis—"

Jaune shut his mouth as Saphron glared at him, telling him quietly to shut up.

"We'll take it," She repeated, making it very clear that it wasn't up for discussion. Jaune wilted at the look.

"Yeah," Jaune agreed weakly, "I guess we will."

The two professors watched everything play out with great amusement, Professor Goodwitch turning to look out the windows to hide her smile, Ozpin covering his lips with his mug.

"I'm glad we were all able to come to an agreement then." Ozpin said, making sure to keep a straight face. "Unfortunately, we cannot offer you the same, Miss Arc."

"I understand," Saphron said easily, waving the apology away. "I'm too old, and I haven't really been given much combat training as it is." She shrugged, "I'm just happy enough to be able to defend myself."

"Well, we might have something to add to that." Ozpin said, glancing at his deputy. Professor Goodwitch nodded, stepping forward.

"If you don't mind, I would be happy to take up your physical conditioning, as well as your self defense training. It never hurts to keep yourself current with either after all, and I have always have a bit of spare time after classes are over that I would be happy to teach you during."

Saphron grinned, happy at the offer.

"I think I would like that very much."

* * *

 **A/N: Blergh. My brain isn't working.**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: A pretty short chapter this week. Unfortunately, there's just a couple perspectives that I really wanted to show, and some things that I wanted to touch on before the start of the Beacon year, and I was stumped for a little while in how to show it without making the flow too discordant, and without releasing two or three tiny chapters. Hopefully I was able to get what I needed out to you guys. Tell me what you guys think.**

* * *

"If you're pissed at me, just say it."

Vernal glanced over at Raven, who sat cross-legged in her tent, running a whetstone across one of her blades.

"I'm not pissed." Vernal said, almost robotically, wondering if she should've tried to put more effort into making it convincing. She turned away as she heard Raven snort, looking back into the night.

"Could've fooled me." Raven said, turning her attention back to her blades. Vernal grunted, leaning against the wooden railing.

Vernal could hear the cheering deeper into the camp. Normally, Vernal would be in the thick of it with them, enjoying herself on a job well done. The bandits had just pulled what was probably the biggest raid under Raven after all, and they deserved a little celebration.

Not every generation of bandit camps could hijack a train like they could, after all. They made headlines all across headlines with their little stunt, what with the millions of lien in damage, not to mention to staggering body count.

Somewhere deep inside her chest, there was a small pang that Vernal pointedly ignored. There was no space for those kind of emotions here, in front of Raven. Nevertheless, it seemed that the sitting woman noticed.

"Look," Raven spoke up, getting Vernal's attention again. "You know what's at stake here."

Did she? Vernal sighed, closing her eyes as she thought back to that day, years ago, when Raven stumbled back into camp after traveling by herself to Haven Academy. The rambling and the wide eyed stares from Raven were disconcerting enough. It took a couple days before she could regain her grip on sanity, and that was when she started to explain her plan.

The plan.

Years later, and it still made no damn sense.

"Yeah," Vernal said, although her tone might have said otherwise. Raven didn't comment on it though. Instead, Raven narrowed her eyes, watching Vernal's still form.

"Your little girlfriend's made it back to Vale now, if that's what you're worried about."

"She's not my girlfriend." Vernal muttered.

Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Not for a lack of trying," Raven noted idly, making Vernal growl as she pushed herself off of the railing, striding over to the other side of the open tent. She listened to the rushing river close to them. Maybe she would've gone all the way to the riverbank, if it wasn't for how dark tonight was. Besides, the river usually ran too fast for her to catch her reflection even in the middle of the day. Maybe that was a good thing.

She pushed away the flashing memory of seeing Saphron again, the first time in _so_ long, only to be ruined by the way the blonde's face twisted in disgust. Vernal knew Saphron didn't mean to show how horrified she was of the horrible scar on her face. She wasn't sure if that hurt more or less, to be honest.

"How's the scar?" Raven asked, her voice almost soft.

The question burned through Vernal, making her grit her teeth, lowering the hand that had unconsciously rose up to touch the burn mark on her face. Taking another second, Vernal tried to calm down, knowing that anger wasn't going to change anything.

"Fuck you." Vernal spat, clenching her fists tightly. Raven let out a sound of amusement, shaking her head.

"There's that attitude. Just remember why it's there, and whose fault it was, and maybe next time, you won't go back on what I've told you."

Vernal spun around, fingers twitching, her mind and body screaming at her to attack the woman sitting in the tent. Raven was faster though, and was already on her feet by the time Vernal spun around, blade tickling the bottom of the younger woman's chin.

There was no anger, no caution, no care in Raven's face. Just a spark of idle amusement, and a much larger ocean of boredom.

"Don't forget, I can kill you just as easily as I saved you," Raven tapped the underside of Vernal's chin with the tip of the sword, making Vernal roll her eyes. Like she cared about dying. "And I can just as easily drag blondie back to this camp to kill her in front of you."

Vernal's breath caught in the back of her throat for a second, enough that Raven could catch the reaction. The red-eyed woman stepped away, sheathing the sword, letting Vernal relax, if only just.

"Do you understand what needs to be done?" Raven asked, not bothering to turn around to ask the question. Vernal pursed her lips.

Did she understand?

No.

Nothing made sense.

Every day she spent with Raven, less and less seemed to make sense. The mad woman made wild judgments, moved erratically, raged at strange times, and then was way too eerily calm for someone who just let the siblings slip from her grasp _again_.

Never had Vernal felt more like a pawn in an elaborate game that Raven was playing.

But did she know what she had to do?

"Yes." Vernal finally answered, crossing her arms. Raven nodded, procuring a half-drunken bottle of liquor.

"Good. Pack up. You're leaving tomorrow. The sooner you get to Vale, the better." Raven flashed a grin. "After all, it's going to take a lot longer than usual, with what we've done with the train."

Vernal nodded.

"You should be able to make it there before the school year starts for Beacon. Maybe if you're good enough, you can get see her again. Something to think of at night." Raven guffawed, shaking her head.

"You're a bitch," Vernal let out, knowing that words were safer than fists. Raven rolled her eyes and took a gulp of the liquor.

"Tell me something new, for once." Raven waved her hand. "Go. Prepare yourself," She looked out at the broken moon, raising the bottle. "Let's see if we can't put a kink in both Ozpin _and_ Salem's plans."

Vernal always hated Raven's laugh.

* * *

"What do you think, sir?"

Ozpin leaned back in his chair, peering out the windows, admiring the view of the moon and stars. He might be thousands of years old, but he could never get tired of watching the beautiful night sky.

It was another reason why he had to protect this world from Salem, and the people under her.

The man frowned, thinking on the question. Glynda stood beside him, used to the long pauses that found themselves in their conversations.

Raven Branwen.

Truly a wildcard.

Taking a sip on coffee, Ozpin tried to piece together what he could, and figure out what kind of game his former student was running.

Immortal, and still being run around by children barely four decades old.

He could imagine the gods laughing at him now.

"I think that adding Raven Branwen onto this field is only going to make things ever so much more chaotic." Ozpin murmured, eyes trailing to the chess board in front of him. "The Arc siblings... are a tragedy. But for Raven to be so far away from the tribe, and to pick them up right after such a devastating attack..."

It couldn't be a coincidence.

"What are you saying, Ozpin?" Glynda asked.

"I'm saying I don't know," He laughed ruefully, fingers tapping against his mug. "Qrow comes back with more questions than answers, I'm afraid. Did Raven mean to show that she was the Spring Maiden? What happened to the last one? Why did she go through such an effort to try and retain the Arc siblings?" Ozpin let out a small sigh. "Did she mean to lose them to us?"

Professor Goodwitch furrowed her brow at that.

"Are you saying that the siblings could be moles?"

Maybe.

"No," Ozpin said aloud, "I don't think so. You could judge the hatred from the older Arc's eyes whenever we mentioned Raven. I don't think that level of emotion could be faked. And I think it would take a certain amount of dedication from both Raven and Saphron to sell the hatred so well. Especially the..." Ozpin pointed to his throat, getting a wince from the woman.

"To be so young and have such a rough life." She let out a dark mutter before continuing, "So Saphron Arc isn't a mole," Glynda said, "but what about Jaune Arc?"

Ozpin thought about the blond boy. How inscrutable his expression seemed to always be. Personally trained, if you could call what was done to him training, by Raven herself. The only thing that was certain was that he cared for his sister just as much as she cared for him. That much was obvious every time the two of them looked at each other.

"I don't think so," Ozpin repeated, "but I would like for you to keep a close eye on him. Even if he isn't a spy, we both know what Raven's semblance is." Glynda nodded. "Although I doubt she would make a mistake like that, it doesn't hurt to cover our bases."

Professor Goodwitch agreed, although she couldn't help but pinch the bridge of her nose, knowing that it would be one more thing for her to do.

"I'm sorry to pile on extra work, Glynda. Although, I may happen to have something that could lighten the load a bit."

The professor raised an eyebrow. There was a lot of work that she had to do around Beacon, true. But much of it she did because she was the only one that Ozpin could really trust to do so. But Ozpin knew that. And if he was suggesting that there was something that could possibly relieve some of the responsibilities...?

"What did you have in mind?" Glynda asked, not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Well, I have a feeling that Miss Arc is not going to sit by and simply be happy with receiving the care that we are giving her. I'm sure that any day now, she will want to try and 'pay us back' somehow."

"She'll want to find some sort of work to pay for our offered amenities." Professor Goodwitch summed up, getting a nod from Ozpin.

"And it's not wrong for her to think so. I would not be opposed to letting her stay at Beacon for as long as she wishes, but it wouldn't take much asking around for her to find out that we usually expect utilities to be paid, at the barest."

"And she isn't going to accept our charity," She finished for him. Ozpin nodded, getting Professor Goodwitch to think a little.

"Do you think it would be a good idea to trust Miss Arc with these kind of responsibilities? She is quite young for this kind of thing." Whether she meant the job or the battle that Ozpin was planning on bringing her into, Glynda kept deliberately ambiguous, even if the both of them were aware of all aspects of her question.

Ozpin swiveled a little in his chair, watching the night sky once more. The world was old, so old. Even older than him.

"Age is a relative thing," He said softly, "And I think she is going to be a force of nature someday." Ozpin let out a sigh, "Let us just hope that when she storms through, she will end up being on our side."

Professor Goodwitch placed a hand on the man's shoulder, looking out into the distance as well.

"Let's hope."

* * *

Saphron watched Jaune as he continued to slam his forehead into his desk, not even trying to hide her amusement. Jaune shoved the textbook away from him, letting it fall onto the ground next to the large pile of textbooks that Professor Goodwitch had brought over for Jaune to go over.

His written exam seemed to be worse than what either of them thought, missing a lot of information that should've been gone over years ago for Jaune. It was actually surprising how much basic information he seemed to miss, although his niche geography and history seemed to hover around the level of an average student, if not a little more.

Guess Saphron wasn't able to cover all of Jaune's educational bases.

Still, it seemed that the Headmaster was willing to work with them, drawing up a few outlines and basics that Jaune would need to get through if he was going to start Beacon with people of the same age as him. Professor Goodwitch would come over every couple of days and personally help him out on anything he struggled too much on, and then would test him to make sure that everything stuck properly. Saphron was unbelievably happy about how much focus they were putting on getting Jaune his proper education.

Jaune thought that he was in Hell.

"Why in the world would a Huntsman need to know all of this math stuff anyways?" Jaune threw up his hands in exasperation. "Am I really going to need to use this stuff when I'm out there trying to save lives? I mean, I can understand why history is important, and geography. But math? Literature?" Jaune looked at Saphron, expression lost and pleading. "Really?"

Saphron could see that he was approaching the end of his sanity, and decided to throw out a lifeline.

"I think you need a little break right now, bro." Saphron stood up and walked over to his desk, glancing at the scrawling notes spread haphazardly across the surface. "Let's take a walk, alright?" She could see that Jaune was at least trying, so the least that she could do was indulge him for a little bit.

"Don't have to say that twice," Jaune said happily, almost hopping out of his chair as he reached over to grab his scroll, opening the door to their room with a quiet swish. Saphron grabbed her scroll and followed him, jogging a little to catch up with him.

"By the way, what's with the bling?" Saphron asked, pointing to Jaune's wrist. The blond boy glanced down, raising his wrist to show a long looping bracelet made out of solid leather.

"Oh, this? It's just been years since we bought new clothes and everything, so I just thought that maybe it would be nice for a little gear update, you know?" Jaune shook the bracelet, letting it fall back towards his wrist as he stuffed his hands in his pocket. "What, you don't like it?"

Saphron lagged behind for a second so that she could get all of Jaune in front of her. Wearing a simple black t-shirt and fitted jeans, Saphron couldn't help but bring up think of how simple the ensemble was. Soft, brow, leather boots designed to make as little noise as possible clad his feet, and he the only accessories that he wore that were visible were the leather bracelet and the watch that Saphron had given him years ago, finally repaired.

It was simple, designed to make him look like an everyday teenager, something that Jaune had probably done on purpose, Saphron thought to herself.

She shook her head, "It's crazy how many knives you can fit on yourself and have it so that none of them are imprinting on you."

Jaune grinned at the praise, shrugging as he let his sister catch up to him again. "It's a gift," he said with false modesty.

Saphron let out a small snort. "If only you had more practical gifts, maybe you wouldn't have to suffer so much after studying for more than two hours."

"I just don't know how people do it," Jaune's face morphed into frustration. "It's just—it's just so _boring_." Saphron rapped the top of Jaune's head softly.

"Boring or not, it's important. Think of your future." She chided softly.

He rolled his eyes. "Look who's talking. Have you thought about Ozpin's offer?"

Saphron bit her lower lip, looking away for a second. "I... have." She said reluctantly.

A couple days ago, the Headmaster approached her with a job offer, telling her that Beacon was always short on staff, and they would be glad to have another hand on deck, no matter what it was. At first, Saphron was more than happy to accept, thinking that all Ozpin had wanted was another cafeteria lady or a janitor. Instead, he talked about needing someone to deal with the massive amounts of paperwork that came through Beacon every day, something that every professor, himself included, had to struggle through and try to juggle while teaching the students to become future Huntsman.

She had noticed pretty quickly that Ozpin seemed to make a very simple subject convoluted the more he talked. Still, she understood what he was asking for.

He wanted a secretary.

Ozpin had asked for her to give some thought into it before she gave him an answer, warning her that it would be a tougher job that she would assume. They wouldn't throw her into the deep end right away, but there was a lot of sensitive information that needed to be dealt with when it came to Beacon records, and she would have to work with a certain diligence and discretion.

Saphron wasn't an idiot.

There was more to Beacon than just a place to cultivate the future of Huntsman, and Ozpin was going to show her to side of the academy that only the faculty knew about, and by the time Saphron realized that she wouldn't want to be a part of what Beacon was asking for her, she would be in too deep.

And at the end of the day, almost as important to Saphron, if not more so, was the fact that Ozpin was asking her to start keeping secrets from the people closest to her.

The one person that was closest to her.

Jaune raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to say something.

"I'm... still thinking about it." Saphron said haltingly, getting a frown from her little brother.

"Is Ozpin asking you to do something dangerous?" Jaune asked quietly, eyes steady. Saphron shoved the instinct to shiver down deep, shrugging out a maybe. Jaune kept his gaze on her, thoughts whirring. Although Saphron might constantly be on Jaune's ass about keeping up with his studies, she knew that he was smart, and could be very clever. He showed it in times that mattered the most, and this seemed to be one of them. "Are you worried that accepting this offer would affect me in some way?"

Saphron stared at her brother. Then she nodded.

Jaune mirrored the nod, falling silent as they continued to walk through the Beacon grounds. They found themselves on the garden benches before Jaune finally decided to speak up again.

"I think you should take the job."

Saphron turned to look at Jaune, who was staring at the swaying flowers in front of him.

"I think you should stop worrying about me so much," Jaune said, turning to smile softly at his sister. "I think I'm at the age where I can take care of myself, don't you think?" Jaune reached over, touching one of the petals of a flower that was swaying closer to the two of them. "Maybe it's time for you to start looking forward to your own future, instead of constantly worrying about mine. I'm about to go to Beacon Academy. I've got my future set in front of me, at least for now." Jaune's gaze morphed into something familiar, an expression that she knew she cast at him just as often as he did her.

Jaune reached over, squeezing Saphron's hand tightly. "Together."

Saphron choked back something rising in the back of her throat, nodded. "Together."

He watched to make sure that she wasn't going to back out of the implicit agreement before leaning back, grinning, morphing from the great Saphron protector to her precious little brother.

"Good. Now, Professor Goodwitch told me after my physical exam that I while I had a good base when it came to fighting, I was lacking a certain dexterity and flexibility after I run out of 'surprises' to throw at an opponent, and I've got a couple ideas on how to fix that."

Saphron let out a laugh, shaking her head. "And what would that be?"

Jaune grinned, something vicious and mischievous tinting the edges of his lips.

"More surprises."


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Another Wednesday, another chapter. Hope you guys like it.**

* * *

"You know, this level of procrastination isn't something that you should be proud about." Saphron said dryly, shrugging her shoulders a little under the weight of all of the bags that she was carrying. Jaune drew a flat stare towards Saphron, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"I know, I know. It's just so much I needed to do to get ready for Beacon, and it kind of overwhelmed me, you know? So I thought that maybe..." Jaune stretched the word out a little.

"So you decided to put it all off until the last second." Saphron eyed the sheepish Jaune. "You know you had three months, right?"

"Yes, Saphron. I know. You reminded me every day, after all."

Saphron rolled her eyes at Jaune's dry tone, blowing a stray bang away from her face. "And yet, here we are, scrambling to get supplies." Jaune let out another tortured sound.

"Alright, I get it! Bad decisions, my name is Jaune." He let out a little grunt. "At least we only have one more store to get to."

"Thank the gods," Saphron muttered, rolling her shoulders again. "It feels like my arms are about to fall off. And that's _with_ Aura." She squinted, trying to remember the last stop for the day. "Why do we need to go to a Dust store anyways? It's not like either of us use it for anything."

"Actually, I've been trying to figure out ways to use it. You know, find more options during a fight." Jaune said the words casually, but she could tell by the way his shoulders tensed that he knew what was coming.

"You're still experimenting? Don't you remember what happened the last half a dozen times?" The words slipped out of Saphron before she could stop them. It was a lecture that she had thrown against the brick wall that was Jaune many a time now, and it seemed that he still hadn't learned. "Didn't Professor Goodwitch ban you from messing around with this kind of thing until you went through a couple years of Beacon first?"

"She banned me from experimenting in the dorm rooms," Jaune corrected, "She didn't say anything about anywhere else." He caught the doubtful stare from his sister, and added, "Don't worry, I'm making sure I've got some adult supervision with me at all times."

"Oh gods, which one is it? Port, or Oobleck?" Saphron wasn't sure which one was worse, at the end of the day. It was crazy how three months of living in close proximity with the Beacon professors stomped any hopeful notions of responsible, mature adults in her mind.

"What matters is that I've got a second pair of experienced eyes to look at what I'm doing," Jaune said smoothly, giving Saphron a disarming grin. "Seriously, relax, Saph. I've learned from my last few times. We're working with smaller projects now. Promise."

Still, Saphron wasn't sure if she could completely trust Jaune's words. Maybe it was because he had said the same thing the last couple of times too, and Saphron wasn't sure how many more times she could cover for her brother before Professor Goodwitch lost her patience and simply hung him upside down above one of the Beacon rafters.

"Fine." Saphron relented, tired of having the same argument. "But if you lose any of your limbs, I'm going to say I told you so."

"If I end up losing a limb, you'll have to get in line," Jaune shot back, before straightening up, catching sight of the Dust shop in the distance. Some relief rose up through Saphron, the thought of seeing their last leg of this massive shopping trip enticing her. Just a couple more minutes, and they could finally head back to Beacon, where Saphron was going to dive into her bed and not move for several hours.

When Saphron accepted Ozpin's offer, she hadn't realized what she was getting into. She knew that there was going to be a lot of work, but she never realized how much.

Nothing was allowed to be written down. Everything was too sensitive for Saphron to write down and accidentally lay down somewhere, just in case someone decided to infiltrate Beacon and come across her meticulously written notes. So she had to rely on simple memory. Now, Saphron was proud to say that she had a pretty decent memory, but everything Ozpin threw at her made her challenge that. There were a dozen phrases that had no context that she had to remember for seemingly no reason, layouts of Beacon grounds, numbers and letters that jumbled up and over themselves, but that somehow meant something for Ozpin. And the paperwork. Oh gods, the paperwork.

If she knew how much paperwork Ozpin had been planning to throw at her, Saphron would've politely declined the job offer, and moved out in hopes that Ozpin wouldn't try and tempt her with the job again.

And then after a rough day of work, she met up with the beautiful Professor Goodwitch, who was secretly a Grimm in disguise, intent on ripping Saphron limb from limb every night. She was fair with her teaching, but absolutely merciless. Almost literally pounding lessons into Saphron's body, Professor Goodwitch made sure that Saphron would learn how to defend herself, or die trying.

Actually, Professor Goodwitch had encouraged Saphron to retreat against the face of serious adversity, but the metaphor was still valid in her mind.

Between trying to get used to the gargantuan task of being a simple secretary at Beacon, and trying to survive the onslaught by Beacon's Deputy, Saphron had less and less time to monitor Jaune's going about. Sure, there were other people keeping an eye out of him on Beacon grounds, but that didn't really mean anything when the siblings' boogeyman could teleport in and out of existence on a whim.

The two of them had their own things to deal with, so Saphron understood that she couldn't hover over Jaune twenty-four seven, no matter how much she wanted to keep the boy safe. It was why, after three long, hard months, after the two of them had found one day to spend with each other, Saphron could be excused for feeling a little miffed about having to scramble for school supplies.

She let out a slow sigh, mentally comforting herself that at least they were together for the moment.

"So what kind of Dust do you need anyways? I hope it's not too much." The headmaster had given them a very nice stipend to spend for Jaune to prepare for Beacon, and working at Beacon had a benefit of a very padded salary, but that didn't mean that they had an unlimited supply of money. Especially since Dust was only climbing in price because of the number of robberies that were happening recently.

"Some fire would be nice." Jaune frowned, thinking a little more. "A couple grams of Ice Dust wouldn't hurt, although I'd be fine if we had to go without. I do want as much Lightning Dust as we can afford though." Saphron nodded, drawing up a mental chart of how much of a drain that would be to their allowance.

"That shouldn't be too bad. I guess we should start with the Lightning first—" Saphron and Jaune stopped walking as the glass window of the Dust shop they were walking towards exploded, a girl flying through and landing on the pavement. A large, deadly looking weapon was held in the dazed girl's hand, one of the many things that told Saphron that they weren't looking at an average girl. A bright laugh echoed out of the Dust shop, making Saphron's heart seize up for a second.

"Man, this is Vale's sorry excuse for a Huntress? I could take three of you blindfolded."

Jaune shot Saphron a worried look, recognizing the voice a second after she did.

Vernal stepped through the window, a merry grin on her face as she faced the down girl. To give credit to the younger girl, she didn't stay sprawled against the bricks, using the scythe to prop herself back on her feet, eyes slowly coming back into focus.

"Vernal..." Saphron whispered quietly. It couldn't have been loud enough for the other woman to hear, but still, she froze, noticing that she wasn't alone. She turned her head, eyes widening as she caught sight of the Arc siblings. She grimaced, eyes falling to the ground before rising right back up, opening her mouth to say something—

Before the crack of a gunshot interrupted her, Vernal's head snapping hard to the side as a sniper round slammed into her temple, staggering her sideways a few steps.

"Fuck!" The woman snarled, rising her weapons in front of her, letting another couple rounds ping off of the blades before she threw one of the chakrams at the crouched girl, who jumped over the blade deftly.

Unfortunately, Vernal didn't stop there, leveling the other chakram and squeezing the trigger, a shotgun blast roaring through the air and slamming into the girl, who let out a pained cry.

Vernal or not, Jaune wasn't going to stand by and watch someone get hurt, rushing towards Vernal, a knife already spinning in the air towards Vernal.

A gunshot rang out, something softer than either Vernal's or the girl's weapon, and the airborne knife shattered into pieces, startling Jaune long enough for another shot to ring out, missing Jaune by an inch.

"Now, now, isn't it a little rude to be interrupting a one on one like that?" The gaudiest man Saphron had ever seen stepped through the window, twirling a cane and sporting a bowler hat like he was being filmed in one of those old black and white videos that Saphron had watched years ago. Vernal threw the man an irritated look.

"I had that, Roman."

Roman Torchwick grinned, leaning on his cane. "Consider it looking out for my loving partner. Wouldn't want you to get brought down by a couple of wannabe heroes now, would we? What would your boss think of that?" His tone was low, mocking.

Saphron wanted to punch the man in the face.

"I don't need your help," Vernal said slowly, turning her attention on Jaune, and the girl, who had once again found herself on her feet. Saphron tried her best not to care that Vernal was making an effort _not_ to look at her.

Roman threw his hands in the air. "Alright, fine. I'll let you do what you bloodthirsty bandits do best, then." He cast a look at the girl and the siblings, taking out a cigar and propping it onto his lips. "Back to what _I_ do best then." The man disappeared back into the shop, hollering orders while doing so.

Vernal watched him for a second, face tinted with disgust. Shaking her head, she turned to face the three of them, a smile plastered onto her face. She looked excited, and ready to fight.

Saphron could see right through her, though.

"Now, where were we?" Vernal took steady paces towards the girl, spinning her chakram lazily on her wrist. Jaune surged forward to try and intercept her, but was stopped by Saphron.

"What?" Jaune turned, eyes flashing angrily at being stopped. "Saph, just because it's Vernal doesn't mean we can let her get to that girl. It's _Vernal_."

"I know, I know," Saphron made sure to look at Jaune, making sure that he knew that she understood. "I'll handle her." Jaune's eye grew wide at that. "Do you think you and that girl can stop the flamboyant thief in the Dust shop?"

Jaune's smile was vicious.

"I think we can manage."

Saphron nodded. "Then do so."

The girl cried out again, flying away from Vernal, rolling back onto her feet, looking a little winded. Saphron had to give it to her. The girl had spunk.

The siblings strode up next to the girl, getting her to glance at the both of them nervously.

"Tell me you guys are good guys." Her voice was half joking, half desperate. Jaune gave her a lopsided grin.

"We're definitely not bad guys." Jaune's eyes sparkled for a second. "What's your name?"

The girl blinked for a second. "Ruby. Ruby Rose."

He nodded. "Nice to meet you Ruby Rose. I'm Jaune Arc." Casting a glance past the impatient looking Vernal, Jaune asked the girl, "You think we can slip past and deal with Roman?" Ruby blinked again, turning to the blonde girl beside her.

"Can you beat her?" Ruby asked, pointing a thumb at Vernal. Saphron simply smiled, crossing her arms.

"I think I'll be able to keep her occupied."

Ruby looked at the two siblings for another second, before shrugging and falling into a low stance. "Seems good enough for me."

"Are you guys done talking then?" Vernal asked, flicking something with her fingernails. "It's cute that you guys are trying to get a plan straightened out, but that kind of thing only works against the weak—"

Jaune moved, almost as fast as the three knives that he sent spinning towards Vernal. Ruby jumped for a second, startled at how sudden Jaune had interrupted Vernal, but blurred away, faster than Saphron's eye could see as she neatly sidestepped Vernal as she was busy knocking knives out of the air. Vernal snarled, turning to try and catch the girl, before spinning to kick at Jaune, who jumped above her and continued on his own way, far enough away that Vernal wasn't going to be able to knock them both over with a shotgun blast. Still, an arm rose, ready to at least catch one of them.

Before Vernal was forced to spin around _again_ , catching Saphron's collapsible baton with a forearm, wincing as Aura flared up to prevent the bone from breaking. Not wanting to stop there, Saphron lashed out with a foot, hitting Vernal in the shin, causing her to exhale sharply.

"Alright," Vernal hissed out, eyes narrowing. "We'll play it like that then."

Twisting the baton suddenly, Vernal disarmed Saphron quickly, reaching out to grab Saphron's shirt. Saphron yelped, gripping Vernal's wrist to prevent her to doing anything drastic. Flashing a cocky smile, Vernal said, "You know, pretending to be a Huntress _so_ doesn't look good on you."

"Let—Let go!" Saphron grit out, trying to twist out of Vernal's grip. Vernal gave rolled her eyes, instead slamming Saphron against the wall and making her cry out.

"I don't think so, Saph." Vernal leaned in close, voice quiet, but urgent. "Got to make this convincing, after all."

Saphron froze, trying to process what Vernal had just said. Unfortunately for her, Vernal used that opportunity to sweep her off of her feet, dropping Saphron abruptly onto the ground and stepping over her.

"Stay down, sweetheart. It'll be easier that way." She called over her shoulder, stooping down to pick up her other chakram, heading back towards the Dust store. She didn't get too far before Saphron tackled her to the ground, making her grunt out in surprise. There was a brief struggle as the two tried to fight to be on top, Saphron letting out a pained gasp as she found herself pinned underneath the other woman.

The two of them stayed in that position, flushed, breathing hard as they stared at each other.

"You've improved," Vernal noted, an undertone of pride tingeing her voice.

Saphron ignored her, instead whispering, "Why are you here?"

"What's it to ya?" Vernal shot back, glaring at the blonde. Saphron didn't answer, just trying to catch her breath for the moment. Watching Saphron, the brunette closed her eyes, calming down. "Raven's orders," she whispered, biting her lip for a second.

Saphron smiled gently, an unspoken thank you in her eyes. Without meaning to, Vernal smiled back, loosening her grip ever so slightly. Just enough for Saphron to move with her shoulders, catching Vernal's lips with hers, just enough contact in it to be considered forceful.

It wasn't the best kiss in the world. With their teeth clacking together and their noses bumping, it was like her first kiss back in middle school. It was messy, it wasn't really supposed to mean anything, Saphron only trying something in hopes to surprise Vernal.

Even knowing that, butterflies exploded through her stomach. Vernal jerked away, face red and eyes wide with shock.

"Wh—" Vernal stuttered out, before making a noise of surprise, falling onto her side as Saphron shifted once again, arms pinned above her as Saphron mounted her.

Again, the two of them fell silent.

Finally, Vernal huffed out a breath. "Fine. You got me." She gave Saphron an arch glance. "What're you going to do about it?"

Saphron had the sudden urge answer her with a kiss, but pushed it down hard. There were more important things right now than her screaming hormones. No matter how tempting it would seem.

"Why did Raven send you here?"

Vernal's eyes flashed, emotions whirling before she settled on a half look of ignorance and disappointment.

"You have me under your mercy, and that's what you go with?" the brunette let out a sigh. "Figures." Saphron growled, pushing against Vernal's wrists.

"Why?" She demanded.

"Who knows?" Vernal shrugged the best she could, before glaring her. "Raven's nuts. You know that. She just tells me to do things and I do them. That's it."

That was such bullshit. It didn't really matter in the end though. Vernal wasn't going to admit the truth, even if the both of them knew she was lying through her teeth. Saphron decided to change tact.

"What did Raven do to inspire such loyalty in you?" Saphron asked, eyes roaming the other woman's face. "Haven't you done enough for her?"

Vernal was never good at hiding her emotions. It was something that always became apparent when Saphron asked intrusive questions, always making the taller, ruder woman uncomfortable.

Like clockwork, Vernal squirmed, anger flaring across her face at the question, while her eyes glanced away, trying the hide the nervousness in her eyes. It made Saphron's heart reach out for Vernal, before she got angry as well.

"You know what Raven's done," Saphron hissed out, "What she's done to me, to Jaune, to people she doesn't care about..." her eyes roved over the harsh scar marring Vernal's face. "To you." Saphron grit her teeth. "Why? You said it yourself. She's _insane._ Can't you at least give me _one_ good reason?"

The woman bit her lip, still refusing to talk. Vernal was always tightlipped when it came to her relationship with Raven. No matter how many times Saphron tried to get Vernal to talk about it over the years, it always ended up with Vernal changing the subject, or distracting her somehow. Saphron knew that she couldn't keep doing this, couldn't keep giving her these second chances. Sooner or later Saphron would have to give up. But...

"Please, Vernal..."

Again, there was a rush of emotions from Vernal, a spike of indecisiveness. She opened her mouth to speak—

And the Dust shop's other window exploded, Roman tumbling ungracefully through it. A small groan escaped from him before he stood up shakily, glaring at the two kids that had jumped through the window as well, brandishing their weapons with a fuller confidence than they had when they had strode in. Roman flicked Melodic Cudgel through the air, knocking aside another thrown knife.

"Ugh, children, please stop throwing your toys around. You know you're going to have to pick them all up when it's time to clean up!" Roman pointed his cane at the two of them, squeezing a shot off and making the two of them dodge, giving him another second to breathe and face the pair of girls that had been brawling in the middle of the street. He let out a small sigh.

"Really? I mean, I was fighting two of them at the same time, but what's _your_ excuse?"

Vernal growled, bucking against Saphron hard enough for her to feel weightless for a few seconds, before Vernal grabbed onto the back of Saphron's collar, flinging her the rest of the way off.

"That's more like it," Roman quipped, placing his cane on his shoulder. "Enough of the cat fight, I think it's time to call this a bust and leave." Vernal picked herself up, casting one last glance at Saphron before moving to stand beside Roman.

"I don't think so," Ruby called out, taking another shot at them. "You guys aren't leaving yet!" She cried out, rushing forwards again, Jaune calling out for her to stop a little too late.

Vernal shot another wide blast towards Ruby, forcing her to clear the wide berth. Ruby stopped moving to line up another shot just as Roman raised his cane, the two of them firing at close to the same time.

Dust round hitting Dust round turned into an explosion of sound and light, nothing close to a flash bang, but enough to cause everyone to turn away from the collision.

When Ruby and the siblings turned back, they found the two criminals hurriedly retreating, Roman climbing up a fire escape to get on the roof while Vernal simply scaled the wall.

The younger girl let out a frustrated whine, taking a couple more shots, hoping to hit the increasingly smaller targets.

"Should we chase after them?" Jaune asked, a small frown on his face as he thought about how successful he would be running around in an urban environment. The question was answered for them when they heard the roar of a Bullhead as it craned above the city, Roman waving and blowing kisses at them while Vernal simply stood there, arms crossed.

"Unless you can fly..." Saphron said slowly, getting an annoyed look from Jaune. "Then I guess we're fresh out of luck," She said.

"Let's not be so hasty, shall we?" A voice called out behind them, a second before shards of glass flung themselves above their heads, homing in on the Bullhead. The siblings were too far away to hear anything from Roman, but judging by the fact that he dove further into the Bullhead showed that he seemed to have noticed the projectiles as well.

Professor Goodwitch continued walking towards the Bullhead at a leisurely pace, eyes narrowed with concentration.

"If you could all step aside, that would be appreciated," She muttered, the three of them scrambling to follow her orders as she raised her riding crop up towards her face. "It's been a while since I've brought down a Bullhead, after all." Whipping the crop through the air, Jaune and Saphron felt a subtle thrum of energy as light post decided that it wanted to take up flying as a hobby and uprooted itself from the sidewalk, flying towards the Bullhead and crashing into one of its wings, making it jerk to the side for a second.

There was a flurry of movement from inside of the Bullhead while the professor waved her crop again, several benches joining the street lamp in its lesson in flying.

Saphron cast a glance at Jaune. "You had to fight against _that_?" He grunted, "Less fight, more survive. But yeah."

Jeez.

A woman stepped out past Roman, holding out her hand, a gout of flame incinerating the flying objects. There was another gesture, and something akin to a small comet raced towards the people on the ground, causing everyone to scatter as the Bullhead limped away, hurt, but still functional.

* * *

"And she shot fire out of her hands? Are you sure about that?" Ozpin asked, fingers crossed in front of his face.

Jaune nodded, looking at his big sister. "Yeah, I mean, it's pretty hard to mistake it as anything else."

Ozpin hummed a concession. "It could've been a trick of dust," He murmured, "I've seen many devices that use fire dust in such a way."

"Maybe." Saphron allowed.

The Headmaster was quiet as he poured another cup of coffee into his mug.

"Thank you for your cooperation," He finally said, taking a sip out of the mug. "And thank you for stepping up and helping Miss Rose. I'm glad to know that you two are brave enough to face such formidable foes as Roman and, what was it, Vernal?" Saphron nodded at the question.

"Another anomaly." Ozpin said to himself before standing up. "Well. It's late, and I'm sure the two of you would like to get some rest after all of this excitement. Mister Arc, I hope you have everything that you need to start the school year," Jaune winced, "And Miss Arc, if I could see you at around ten tomorrow morning? I have some paperwork that I would like to go through with you." Saphron was a little better at hiding her wince, and gave a small nod. "Excellent. Have a good night, you two." Ozpin grabbed a plate of cookies as he left the room.

Waiting until he heard the door click, Jaune turned to face his sister, who let out a sigh.

"I don't want to talk about it," Saphron said.

"I haven't even said anything yet," Jaune protested, although the smug smile on his face would've said otherwise.

Saphron pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers, trying to preemptively get rid of the headache that she knew was coming any second. "I don't know. She's here, she's still under Raven, she's going to be a wanted criminal. End of story."

Jaune laid a hand on her arm, getting her attention with smile. He didn't need to say anything, simply reminding her that she didn't have to be alone, even when it came to Vernal. Saphron smiled wearily back, thanking him with a gentle hug.

"You gonna be alright?" Jaune asked, as if he wasn't the younger sibling. Saphron nodded.

"I will be."

That was good enough for Jaune, who stood up and let out a yawn, blinking the tears out of his eyes. "Good. If you need me, I'm going to bed. Wake me up if you need me." Saphron nodded, watching him as he left the room, the door clicking to notify her that she was alone.

Slowly, Saphron reached into her pocket, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper that had somehow managed to find its way into her pocket during the fight. Unfolding it, she found a scrawled series of numbers on it, finished with a small V.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: This chapter just would not end. Well. I guess it was kind of an important one, what with being initiation and all. I tried to move it along a little, because let's face it, everyone's tired of everyone's retelling of initiation. Hopefully I did things right, and things are good. Let me know what you guys think.**

* * *

"Nervous?"

Jaune looked up at his sister, who was scribbling something down on a sheet of paper. He rolled his eyes, even though she couldn't see, and checked all of his stuff for the fourth or fifth time.

"No." He said shortly. And he wasn't. He had fought with some of the most brutal bandits on Remnant. Fought in tournaments, well, one tournament, and faced down Huntsman and criminals without blinking an eye.

Why would he be nervous about going to school?

Saphron turned the sheet over, spinning around in her chair and raising an eyebrow.

"If you're not nervous, why do you keep fidgeting so much?" She asked, making Jaune drop his hands away from one of his knives. "Normally with so much time left you would be taking a nap."

Jaune scowled at her, hating how easily she could see through him. Still, it wasn't like he was going to admit it. "I'm just checking everything over. You know I've got some new stuff on me," Jaune started to defend, before Saphron finished the sentence for him.

"And you just want to make sure that everything's in its right place," Saphron drawled out, rolling her eyes. "Keep telling yourself that, buddy."

"I will." Jaune crossed his arms, glaring his sister down as she raised her hands in a defensive gesture, turning back around to her paperwork. It didn't take long for Jaune's hands to go back to his numerous sheaths, counting and remembering what was where without really thinking too hard about it.

He wasn't lying when he said that he needed to familiarize himself again with the layout of all of his weapons. After the fight with Torchwick, Jaune had decided that now was the best time to drastically change some things up. Sure, after the practical exam with Professor Goodwitch, Jaune had already been on that trail, but fighting with that Huntress-in-training opened his eyes up.

Ruby Rose was only fifteen, and she had ended up contributing more to the fight than he had.

Sure, part of it was how fast she could move, probably her Semblance in action. And it wasn't like she had much in fighting technique.

But that weapon of hers.

It was one hell of a monster.

Jaune traced the end of one of his new knives carefully, that one packed with volatile dust. He had been fighting with knives since he was ten, and while Raven had made sure that he knew how to reasonably handle most other weapons, he had found comfort in how concealable and effective knives could be. They were versatile and dangerous in the right hands, and none were more right than his, after all. But Jaune had to face the truth of the matter.

At the end of the day, a normal knife was only good enough for a normal person. He could take down half a dozen men and women with no Aura without breaking a sweat, but...

Jaune pulled out a sharp dagger, one of the first ones that he had gotten years ago. The one that Raven had given to him as a present. Pricking himself on the finger with it, the tip bounced off of his Aura, Jaune not even noticing the inconsequential dip.

Against people with Aura, Jaune might as well fight with his fists, they would be more effective.

He sighed, stowing the dagger away again and standing up, glancing at his watch. It would be another two hours before the first batch of students would even begin to arrive, but he couldn't take sitting in this room for any longer. He would go nuts.

"I'm going to take a walk," Jaune said, opening the door and ignoring the muttered 'finally' from Saphron. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he walked up and down the hallways, trying his best not to worry about today and tomorrow, and doing so anyways.

It wasn't unreasonable to worry, Jaune thought to himself. Today would be the first day that he would meet dozens of people who were sort of like him: trained to fight at a young age. Would he make a good impression? Would they? Should he even really care?

That wasn't even counting tomorrow, where everyone would be paired up into teams that would stick together for the rest of their Beacon careers. Jaune didn't even know how that worked, Ozpin being so tight lipped about everything meant that he was kept in the dark along with everyone else who would be seeing the academy for the first time. Even Professor Goodwitch wouldn't say anything, quoting something about unfair advantages and equality and the like.

They were probably right, but that didn't soothe Jaune's thoughts at all.

Running his hand through his hair, Jaune let out a sigh, closing his eyes as he arrived at the Beacon gardens, taking a seat on one of the benches. With all of the faculty making sure that everything was going to run smoothly for the first day, Jaune didn't even have anyone to chat with. Professor Port had horrible stories that would bore the living daylights out of you, but along with it came a sense of humor that Jaune enjoyed listening to, whenever he could manage to get Port away from himself. Theorycrafting was enlightening and fun to do with Professor Oobleck, who would either have the answer to a question that Jaune would pose, or was very good at finding the answer. Even Professor Goodwitch was pleasant to chat to, when she actually had the time and wasn't running around supporting the Headmaster while he was doing who knows what.

Screw it.

Jaune pushed himself off of the bench, half walking, half jogging his way towards the combat rooms. He was going to try and get _some_ of this jittery-ness out of himself before orientation.

Finding a combat room and setting it up the way Professor Goodwitch taught him, Jaune lugged a combat dummy towards the center of the floor, taking several paces away from the thing and pulling out a well balanced throwing knife, chucking it towards the dummy. A little too high and to the right, Jaune thought to himself, huffing out a breath and moving in a different direction.

As long as he constantly varied his approach, he would be honing his accuracy. If he didn't move and continued from the same spot, he would be practicing his consistency.

This went on for about an hour and a half, Jaune changing it up, adding him imaginary enemies when he had to, making sure that he could stay light on his feet. When the alarm finally went off, Jaune let out a sigh, wiping the sweat that was running from his forehead.

Time to meet his future classmates.

* * *

A surprising amount of students poured out of the first Bullhead, a lot of them chatting amongst themselves, some simply content with heading straight to the auditorium. Jaune was leaning underneath the shadow of a tree, head tilted down as if he was asleep. Instead, his eyes continued to scan the groups, noting some of their weapons and how they held themselves.

Huntsmen and Huntresses seemed to be a colorful bunch, Jaune thought to himself. It was like they went out of their way to put on their loudest colors to declare that yes, they were Huntsman and yes, they were standing right in front of you. It looked a little ridiculous.

Jaune glanced down at his plain clothing, a brief moment of insecurity passing.

A loud explosion filled the air, causing Jaune to tense up, eyes picking through the crowds to see who had decided to try and attack Beacon at that moment. Instead, he found a pretty, snow haired girl yelling nasty things to fifteen year old Ruby Rose, who looked hopelessly lost. Jaune frowned, kicking himself off of the trunk and moving towards the two of them, taking care to stay out of both of their field of views.

He almost got close enough to start intervening before he ducked back into the crowd, spotting an old face that he never thought he would see again.

Golden eyes and stern face, White Fang Terrorist Blake stepped towards the two of them, holding a vial of red dust in her hands. What was she doing here? Was she here to attack the school? Should Ozpin know about this?

She had grown a little bit since the day Adam had tried to murder him and Raven kicked him out of the tribe. The clothes and bow were different, even if the color scheme was the same. Jaune's eyes were magnetized to the black bow on her head, wondering if that flimsy excuse of a disguise was actually fooling anybody, or if it was only because Jaune already knew that she was a faunus.

Still, her stepping in seemed to defuse the situation well enough, the white haired girl gathering her bags and leaving, Blake mounting an exit at the same moment. It left Ruby unknowingly alone, as she turned to try and introduce herself, deflating a little once she noticed that Blake had left.

Jaune debated on leaving as well, wondering if he should at least run it past Ozpin about who Blake was in the past. It didn't last long after seeing Ruby collapse on the floor, staring hopelessly towards the sky.

It would probably be fine. If Blake was in disguise then it probably meant she wasn't going to try and attack any time soon, so it wasn't like Jaune needed to report it to Ozpin in a hurry.

"So, I bet you're starting to regret accepting Ozpin's offer now, aren't you?"

Ruby opened her eyes, perking up as she saw Jaune, holding out a hand as he stood above her.

"Jaune! I didn't realize you were going to Beacon as well!" Ruby grabbed a hold of Jaune's hand and hoisted herself up, all smiles once more. "That's awesome! I didn't—I just thought that—" Ruby let out a nervous chuckle, looking down at the ground. "I wasn't sure if I was going to make any friends at Beacon," she said in a quiet voice.

"Well, that can't be right," Jaune said, brushing off invisible dust off of Ruby's cloak. "I mean, you've got at least one friend now, right?" Ruby beamed at him, nodding excitedly.

"This is great! Maybe we can even be on the same team!"

Wouldn't that be nice, Jaune thought to himself. Ruby and him seemed to work well together judging from when they were fighting Torchwick, and she would be one hell of a better partner than if he got Blake, or someone else.

A cold chill went down in his spine, as if someone had just wished him death. Turning around, Jaune tried his best to act casual as he looked around, wondering if Blake had just spotted him and was about to try and murder him.

But, no one.

Just as suddenly as he felt the chill, it vanished, making Jaune wonder if he had just imagined it all or not.

Probably not though. Jaune's gut wasn't usually wrong about stuff like imminent death.

"Come on," Jaune tugged at Ruby's elbow, leading her towards the auditorium. "We shouldn't be late to orientation."

"Yeah, that would be bad," she said, nodding to herself. "Do you know how to get there?" Jaune nodded an affirmative and they started walking.

"I hope they pair us up," Ruby repeated, worrying her lower lip with her teeth. "I mean, I wonder how they're going to do it in the first place. Like, are they going to evaluate all of us and then put us in one team? Maybe they'll _let_ us pick teammates or something. What do you think?"

Jaune shrugged, having no better answer to give her. "I don't know, Ruby. But I'm sure whatever's the case, Headmaster Ozpin will figure something reasonable out."

"Are you sure?"

Jaune let out a chuckle, raising an eyebrow at her. "I mean, yeah. Come on now, he's the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. He's not just going to throw us off a cliff or anything."

Ruby seemed to be convinced, nodding along. "Yeah. You're right. He's an adult." She took a deep breath. "Maybe it's just going to be a questionnaire that we have to fill out, or something."

"Yeah, it's probably something like that." Jaune waved a hand. "Anything more exciting and I'll eat my boots."

* * *

Jaune couldn't believe he was going to have to eat his own fucking boots.

Soaring through the air, Jaune wondered if having Aura as you grew older meant that you would gradually grow insane and start doing things like throwing people off buildings and training child bandits. But that couldn't be right because Professor Goodwitch seemed pretty well put together.

Unless that was all an act and she was the one who suggested it to Ozpin for them to eject the students off of the Beacon cliffs.

Jaune let out a long sigh before returning to the problem at hand. Namely, if he didn't find a way to slow his descent, he was going to end up dying twice. Once when he splat across the Grimm infested forest grounds, and the second time when a pissed Saphron pulls him out of his grave and kills him again.

"Who would've thought that all of those times jumping out of crashing Bullheads would actually be a benefit," Jaune muttered to himself, for once, thanking Raven on preparing him for something that didn't involve killing.

Twisting around in the air, Jaune spread his limbs out, trying to get as much surface area as he could muster. Concentrating, Jaune summoned his Aura, pushing it slowly, but steadily out of his body, making sure to structure it properly so that it wouldn't collapse in on itself and lay close to the skin, the way Aura was _supposed_ to be used. He had to do this carefully, making sure not to make any mistakes.

He would only have one chance at this, after all.

It took almost too long, at least in Jaune's mind, but he finally started to slow down, Aura flattening him out so that he was basically falling on top of a pancake, able to have some limited form of maneuverability as he did so.

Jaune allowed himself a little smile, proud of the fact that—

What the hell was that?

Jaune couldn't help but notice something streaking towards him. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to pick out the shape. What was that? It looked like... like...

Jaune's eyes flew open as he jerked himself to the side, the spear missing his face by a couple of inches. Unfortunately, due to the way he was positioned, the tip found its way through Jaune's shirt, pulling him so suddenly in another direction that he wouldn't gotten whiplash if it wasn't for Aura.

Still, it broke his concentration enough that the Aura pancake pulled itself apart, wasted Aura dissipating in the wind as he slammed into a tree trunk, stars exploding in front of his eyes as his head met the trunk.

Aura hurried to repair what concussion he had just caused himself as he hung there for a minute or ten, losing track of time as he tried to find a way to get his thoughts in a straight line.

The semester hadn't even started, and someone was trying to kill him already. Jaune wracked his brain, trying to remember if he had pissed anyone off so badly that they were already out for blood. He didn't think so, seeing as how he had only stayed in the auditorium long enough to hear Ozpin's short speech before he snuck away back towards the dorms, happy enough to sleep in his room for one last night.

Groaning, Jaune picked his head up, squinting a little as he tried to figure out what weapon was pinning him to the trunk. Maybe he could use some context clues to figure it out. He hadn't paid _too_ too much attention to everyone's weapons, but maybe he could cross... out... some...

Jaune saw the red and gold scheme on the spear, and paled considerably.

"Fuck."

* * *

One of Blake's ears twitched in amusement as she heard Jaune's softly uttered curse. Gripping onto Gambol Shroud, she stayed crouch in a nearby bush, wondering if she should let him down or pretend she hadn't seen him and continue on her way. They hadn't made eye contact after all, so they weren't partners. Better to keep it that way.

Her heart had practically stopped when she spotted him at orientation last night. It made listening to Ozpin's speech difficult, her whole body tense and ready to either fight or run away if Jaune had spotted her. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice her, slipping away just as Ozpin finished his speech.

She was half tempted to follow him and stop whatever bandit thing he was going to do, but reminded herself that she was trying to start a new life, _dammit_ , and chasing after bandits wasn't the way to go about it.

So she went to the Headmaster, telling him what she knew about Jaune.

Ozpin had smiled and thanked her for the information, and had assured her that everything would be handled, but Blake had to make sure. Had to _be_ sure that Jaune wasn't going to get in the way of her new life.

So what, was she going to kill him or something?

Blake let out a sigh, shaking her head. That was a ridiculous notion in and of itself. She couldn't do something like that. It was wrong, and it would bring her to his level.

She closed her eyes as she remembered the calm, almost clinical way Jaune had slit the defenseless Atlas soldier's throat.

No, she couldn't be that kind of person.

Standing up, Blake decided that she would let it go, for now, and anything Jaune would be up to would hopefully be stopped by the Headmaster, now that he was warned.

Turning the other direction, Blake couldn't help but let out a small scream, so occupied that she hadn't noticed the arm that reached out to grab her.

* * *

Jaune jerked his head towards the direction of the faint yelp, ears straining to listen for any other sounds. Someone was close by. Someone that was just caught off guard. By something. Or someone.

Jaune decided not to hang around for much longer.

Straining to try and twist his body, Jaune's fingers scrambled along the length of Milo. Pyrrha had shown him once before that there was a catch along the length of the javelin, a button that would—ah.

Gravity took ahold of him as the blade shifted inwards, Milo folding into the form of a rifle, Jaune dropping like a rock now that there wasn't anything to hold him against the tree. He had just enough time to let out a small, but very manly scream as he tumbled through the branches, Aura flaring over and over and he broke his fall on the hard ground, letting out a groan of pain afterwards.

Okay, not the most graceful start, but it was still recoverable. It wasn't like anyone was watching, right?

Jaune slowly stood up, a hand rubbing his backside as he did so.

What did he just sign up for? To think that just becoming a Hunter-in-training would get him thrown off a cliff and attacked by a pissed friend. For once, would it be too much to ask for his life to take things easy?

Jaune took a second to locate Milo, staring at it for a second before picking it up, deciding that it would be a better idea for him to carry it around with him than leave it in the middle of the forest for some random person to grab.

And maybe if he gave it back to Pyrrha instead of leaving it somewhere random, she wouldn't be as pissed with him.

Yeah. That's a thought.

Getting pinned to a tree threw off his sense of direction though, so Jaune spun around, trying to find something that would help him head to the ruins that Ozpin had told them to go to, all while moving in a direction away from whatever had made that sound earlier.

It would be better for him to stay as hidden as possible for the moment. At least that way he could control who would be his partner to some extent. Maybe if he was lucky enough, he'd find Ruby and they could be partners. She seemed like a nice girl.

Instincts screamed at him, the same ones that always told him when Raven was about to pounce him from nowhere, telling him to duck. He wasn't one to question his own senses, and promptly ducked down, the hairs on the back of his neck raising as he heard something fly above him, a dull thud echoing through the forest as it buried itself in a tree.

Straightening back up, Jaune's stomach dropped upon seeing the shield that went with Milo, gleaming ominously.

"You've got to be kidding me," Jaune whispered. How did Pyrrha find him in this dense forest so quickly?

A rustle convinced Jaune to turn around, finding a panting, sweating, _furious_ Pyrrha standing in front of him, a hand placed on a nearby trunk as she gathered her breath. Did she just sprint towards his direction the moment she threw Milo at him?

She couldn't be that mad, could she?

"Pyrrha," Jaune said slowly, trying for polite, "It's been a little while, how—" Pyrrha must've waited for Jaune to blink before moving, because in one moment she had crossed the distance between them, her fist slamming into his face, flinging him backwards.

Well, now he _definitely_ had a concussion.

"Jaune," Pyrrha's voice swam lazily towards him, politeness barely covering the simmering anger underneath her voice. "It certainly _has_ been a while. I was hoping, I mean, I thought that you had died or something, what with the fact that you hadn't contacted in ever since you disappeared without a _single explanation_."

"Uh, guh," Jaune said eloquently, trying to push past the head trauma for a second. He knew that he should probably find some sort of excuse for her, but his tongue didn't seem to want to move.

"You know, I thought to myself, 'Jaune has to be playing a prank on me or something', but then I realized that you wouldn't play such a terrible prank on me." She circled around him, talking with a forced sense of casualness that sounded even scarier than her just screaming at him. "Then I thought, 'well, Jaune has always told me that he's had people after him', so for a while, I wasn't mad." Her voice lowered to a softer decibel. "I was just worried." She made a disappointed sound, giving him enough time to straighten out his vision and finding her standing above him, eyes closed, face sad.

"Pyr..." Jaune said, freezing as she knelt down, eyes blazing.

"But then I see you at Beacon," Pyrrha's voice hardened as she grabbed Milo, transforming it into javelin form. "Unhurt. Without a care in the world. And still not even a. single. message." Jaune shifted to try and stand up, to defend himself, but froze when Milo buried itself dangerously close to his ear. "Can you see how I could be a little... _upset_ , Jaune?"

Jaune let out a slow breath, eyes slowly meeting hers. "I think I can see where you're coming from," he replied meekly. Pyrrha's eyes narrowed dangerously, to the point that Jaune was sure she was going to at least sneak in another sucker punch. "I'm sorry," Jaune squeaked out. And he was. He just hoped that Pyrrha would let him live for a little longer so that he could explain himself.

Instead, she let out a sharp breath, straightening up and holding out a hand. Jaune looked at the hand in confusion, waiting to see if she was about to attack him with it or something. Tentatively, Jaune gripped her hand, feeling himself be pulled up onto his feet. He found himself face to face with his old friend, so close that their noses were almost touching.

"I forgive you," Pyrrha whispered, eyes softening. "Just keep that in mind for the future, alright?"

"Future?" Jaune murmured in confusion, before realizing that Pyrrha had made very deliberate eye contact with him from the start. She flashed a smile which would've been called charming in any other situation, but only sent chills down his spine. It didn't help that Pyrrha was practically crushing his hand as she looked at him.

"Of course, _partner_. Now, how about we ask our audience why they're watching us?"

"What?"

Pyrrha lifted Milo up, bracing it onto her shoulder as she turned, aiming down her sights at an inconspicuous looking bush, air churning with intent to fire.

"Wait, don't shoot!" A voice cried out, hands lifting into the air. Pyrrha kept the gun steady, but her finger off of the trigger, waiting for another move. There was some rustling, along with quiet whispers before two girls stood up from the brush. Blake stood to the side sheepishly, almost insulted that Pyrrha had seen the two of them.

The other girl almost gave Jaune a heart attack.

It was like a younger Raven that had decided to dye her hair had stepped out of the bushes, so similar in looks that Jaune's adrenaline started to pump through him again. Without realizing it, and without being able to control himself, he drew a knife and held it in his palm, only the bare tip poking out of his fingers.

Blake seemed to stiffen up, hand gripping tightly onto Gambol Shroud as she watched Jaune, eyes sharp and wary of his movements.

The blonde looked at her newly minted partner, then at Jaune, then looked at Pyrrha, raising an eyebrow as Pyrrha did the same thing in the opposite order. The two of them blinked slowly at each other, Pyrrha lowering her rifle as the two of them realized that neither actually meant any harm. Their partners on the other hand...

"O...kay." The blonde girl said slowly, moving towards Blake. "I think we've established that we're all friends here, right?"

The words were meant for Blake, but they had the intended effect on Jaune, who relaxed his shoulders, stowing the blade away again. Raven would never try and broker a peace when there could've been fighting to be had.

Seeing Jaune relax brought Blake's hackles down as well, the girl sheathing her weapon and crossing her arms, intent on staying silent.

"Well," the girl said, muttering something to herself for a second before speaking up again, "I'm Yang Xiao-Long! This bundle of nerves here is Blake. Uh, Blake—" Yang raised an eyebrow, a silent question passing between them.

"Belladonna," The black-haired girl said shortly, still refusing to look away from Jaune.

"Right. Blake Belladonna." Yang beamed at the other two.

"Pyrrha Nikos." The red-haired girl said, giving the two of them a polite smile before jamming her elbow into Jaune, knocking the wind out of him.

"Jaune," he strangled out, taking a step away just in case Pyrrha decided to throw another elbow his way. "Arc."

"Cool!" Yang clapped her hands, a grin spreading on her face. "Now that introductions are done... anyone know where we're supposed to go?"

The four looked at each other, before turning around, looking at the vast expanse of trees that stretched on all four sides of them.

"This is going to be a long initiation," Jaune muttered under his breath, uncoiling his leather bracelet and walking over to a tree.

"What're you doing?" Pyrrha asked politely. Jaune pointed up to the tallest tree that they could all see.

"I'm going to climb that tree. Hopefully I'll be able to see something that can point us in the right direction." Jaune lowered his voice, "Or maybe I can fall off of it and end this day once and for all."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

* * *

"So, wait, you've never hadany formal training to be a Huntsman?" Yang asked, bouncing beside Jaune as he lead them to where he was pretty sure the relics were located. He shook his head, trying his best not to turn and look the girl, pretty sure that he would end up trying to reflexively stab her in the throat.

"Wow. You must be pretty talented if you could still get in." Yang was quiet for a blissful second. "You know, you don't talk very much." Jaune rolled his eyes, ducking a low hanging branch as he continued to scan his surroundings.

The Raven clone could chatter away as much as she wanted to for all Jaune cared. They were in the middle of a forest filled with Grimm, and there wasn't any way that he was going to lower his guard.

Still, it would've been a little nice if Pyrrha or Blake could distract Yang for a couple minutes. Unfortunately, Pyrrha wasn't as forgiving as he was hoping she would be, happy to let Yang chat with him. She wasn't exactly sure why Jaune was so tense around the blonde girl, but Pyrrha wasn't going to lose any sleep Jaune being a little uncomfortable.

"I'm not sure what my sister did to make friends with you." Yang continued, making Jaune frown. Sister? Jaune couldn't remember chatting to any other blondes. "I mean, she's so shy, and you barely talk." Yang shrugged. Jaune cast an annoyed look at the girl.

"I don't know who you're talking about." He said flatly, ignoring the small gasp and the 'he speaks!' from the girl.

"Oh, come on, she would be so hurt if she heard you say that!" Yang jostled Jaune, making him grunt in alarm as he moved a little further away. Some of the things that he was carrying was a little sensitive, and Jaune was not going to appreciate getting blown up by his own equipment. "I mean, you wouldn't want to make Ruby cry now, would you? 'Cause that would be a problem." Yang's face darkened a little. "A _very_ big problem."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Wait. Ruby Rose is your sister?"

"Got it in one." Yang said, throwing her hands behind her head. "I know we don't look anything alike. Two different mothers." Jaune turned his attention back towards the loose path that they were following, grunting in acknowledgement. "But that doesn't really matter to me. My sister's always going to be my cute little sister, and her mom's always going to be my mom."

"You always share your life story with the first person you meet?" Jaune tried for the rude and abrupt route, hoping that it would turn her away.

"Hah! That's funny," Jaune wasn't sure what was so funny about that, "Not really, I just thought that maybe we could be friends, you know? 'Wanna know a little about the guy my little sis made friends with."

Oh gods, she's worse than Saphron.

Giving in, Jaune let out a long sigh. "We met a couple days before. Fought a criminal. Then I saw her again, and we talked."

"So you _are_ the guy she fought with." There was a note of satisfaction in her voice. "Heard you can fund a small army with the amount of knives you've got on you."

Jaune didn't answer, taking care not to trip over a large branch.

"So did Ozpin accept you into Beacon because of that?"

"He accepted me because me and my sister were raised by bandits and he's hoping to use us against someone called Raven Branwen, who's the leader of the tribe of bandits." Jaune finally gave in, hoping that it would be enough to shut Yang up. It must've worked too, because Yang stopped speaking. In fact, it sounded like she had stopped moving completely, but Jaune was too distracted by the break in the tree line to notice or care.

"Finally," Jaune said, popping out of the forest and finding himself in view of a large ruin, the relics laying in plain sight.

Feeling a hand on his bicep, Jaune stopped moving forward, the hand forcing him to spin around, Jaune gritting his teeth as he looked at Raven's younger twin again.

"Raven... Branwen?"

Jaune nodded, confused. "Yeah. That's what I said, didn't I?"

Yang's eyes flashed red, like literally flashed red in a way that made Jaune take a step back, the hairs on the back of his neck raising. She pulled out her scroll, flipping through it before turning it around, showing Jaune a picture of a younger looking Raven.

"Is this her?"

Jaune stared at the photo, then stared at Yang.

"Who are you?"

Yang's answer was interrupted by a piercing yell, both of their eyes widening as they recognized the sound.

Ruby was in trouble.

The two of them decided to shelve the conversation for a later time, sprinting toward the sound of the yell and rushing past their partners, who to their credit, immediately followed them.

"Ruby? Ruby!" Yang cried out, spotting the frantic girl as she ran up to her sister, and continued right past her, and past Jaune, and everyone else. "What—?"

Trees were torn apart in front of them, a Deathstalker the size of a bus emerging with two students hanging off of it.

Jaune promptly turned and ran the other way.

"What did your sister just get us into?!"

"Ruby!"

The girl turned around, eyes still wide as she shook her head.

They couldn't keep running away from the Grimm like that, especially because they would end up leading it towards the ruins. Jaune cursed under his breath, frustrated at the fact that they hadn't even picked one of the relics up yet.

"We need to stop this thing!"

"Really?" Yang yelled out, "I thought we were just going to keep letting it chase after us!"

An explosion rocked out against the Deathstalker, making it screech and stumble for a second, allowing Jaune to turn around and see one of the hanging students shooting grenades around haphazardly, before being flung off of the tail.

"Scatter!" Jaune yelled as loud as he could, taking off into the woods. Ruby decided to follow closely, grabbing his sleeve.

"What? What?" Jaune asked her. "Do you have a plan to kill that thing?"

The silver-eyed girl winced, "Actually, I kind of wanted to warn you..."

"About what?" Jaune asked, wondering what else he needed a heads up for.

"SCRAW!"

Jaune tilted his head up, face falling. "Oh you have got to be kidding me..." He said, before a body slammed into him, knocking him off of his feet and onto the floor.

"Gh. Uh." The girl gasped, trying to regain her breath.

"I told you to just let go," Ruby said, leaning over the two of them. Jaune pushed the girl off of him, stumbling back onto his feet before glaring at the younger girl.

"Is there... anything else you'd like to tell me?" Jaune grit out. "Hopefully before I get crushed again?" Ruby shook her head frantically as the other girl scoffed at him.

"Please. I'm not _that_ heavy." Jaune stared at her. Pretty. But mean. Another screech from the Nevermore distracted him from making any further deductions about her character.

"I'm guessing no one here has a Semblance that would let them fly up there and deal with that thing, would you?" Jaune muttered, the question half rhetorical. The two shook their heads. "I didn't think so." Jaune let out a small sigh. "Nothing's ever just that easy, is it?"

Someone yelled his name, Jaune turning to spot Pyrrha who was waving and pointing at the Deathstalker, who had finally shaken the other student off of it, and was glaring at Jaune with hate filled eyes.

"Okay. Plan. I'll deal with the Deathstalker if you guys deal with the Nevermore." Jaune looked at the two of them. "Deal?"

"What?" The white haired girl crossed her arms. "Why do _we_ have to follow your orders?"

Jaune rolled his eyes. "Fine then. Fight the giant death monster then." The girl looked over Jaune's shoulders, eyes widening as she watched the thing charge towards them.

"That's what I thought," Jaune said, watching the two of them split apart, moving away from the Deathstalker. Turning around, Jaune jumped as high as he could, doing his best to clear the height of the Grimm, as well as unraveling his leather bracelet, looping it into something resembling a lasso and attaching it to one of the Deathstalker's many spikes, his arms groaning in protest as he was pulled along for a ride.

The Deathstalker didn't seem to like that, letting out a monstrous roar as it spun in a circle, trying to throw Jaune off of it. Jaune wasn't sure he liked that idea, opting to loop the other end of the leather strap around his wrist, digging his boots into one of the cracks in the Grimm's armor plates.

Pyrrha decided that it was enough of a distraction for her to step out of cover, Milo in rifle form as she fired a couple shots at the Deathstalker.

"Wh—Stop!" Jaune yelled as a bullet whinged past him. She was going to hurt him a lot more than that thing with a stray bullet if she kept shooting. Pulling out her shield, she tossed it hard, the edge slamming into the Deathstalker, making it stumble, before it turned its attention towards the girl, letting out a slow hiss.

Jaune responded to the vague threat (if it actually was a threat, Jaune didn't know for sure) by hopping onto its upper body, pulling out one of his knives that had little ridges on it, and slammed it into one of its eight eyes. Ignoring the screech it let loose, Jaune procured another knife, doing the same thing two more times before the Deathstalker started spinning again, Jaune having to hold onto the strap with both hands or risk getting his shoulder dislocated from the force of the spinning.

Yellow hair flashed in front of his dizzy eyes, a shotgun blast echoing through the forest as Yang punched the thing, actually making it take a couple steps back from the force of the shotgun punch. Jaune took the opportunity to stab another eye, the Grimm now half blind. Not wanting to take any more chances, Jaune unlooped the strap, hopping off and rolling away from the Deathstalker, who swung its tipped tail at Jaune. It would've pierced through him with the tip, if it wasn't for a black ribbon coiling its way around the tail, pulling it away at the last second.

Standing back up, Jaune took note of the other three's positions, all of them crouched, surrounding the Grimm on all four sides.

"Alright, four on one," Jaune said under his voice, eyes narrowing as he tried to find a vulnerability to exploit. "Let's see if we can't make this work."

Yang didn't need any prompting, diving in once again to attack, deftly dodging on the Deathstalker's claws and giving it another right straight, delivering all of the force of her body, as well as the additional force of a shotgun blast right into its head plate. The Deathstalker shook its tail free of Blake's ribbon and the stinger lunged towards Yang, only to be blocked by Pyrrha's shield, Pyrrha turning her body to let Yang get another punch in, morphing Milo into a javelin and thrusting it into another eye, getting the Grimm to back away and swing both of its claws around, clearing the space in front of itself.

Jaune and Blake moved while the monster was preoccupied, Jaune circling around to try and find something that his knives could actually stick through. Blake let out short bursts of gunfire at the backside, annoying the Deathstalker enough for the tail to rear back, only for Blake to move out of range.

"Ah hah!" Jaune yelled, finding the underside of the Deathstalker to be a little less armored than the top side. It wasn't idea, and Jaune couldn't help but imagine himself being crushed underneath the mass, but it was something, and better than him just standing around and doing nothing.

Two or three steps was all Jaune needed to take to gain enough momentum to fall into a slide, drawing out the biggest, sharpest thing he had on hand and puncturing the underbelly, getting a _much_ more satisfying reaction out of the Deathstalker than anything else they've done.

The Grimm shifted, and Jaune knew that it was going to try and crush him.

"Jaune!"

The blond boy turned to see Pyrrha throw Milo at him, the javelin glowing black. Grabbing onto it, Jaune found himself being pulled out towards the back of the Deathstalker, his boots barely clearing the mass of the Grimm as it slammed downwards. Standing up, Jaune reversed the grip of Milo and tossed it overhead, Pyrrha throwing her shield at the same time, the Deathstalker turning around towards the boy, tip of the stinger once again lunging towards him.

With only a little help from Pyrrha's Semblance, Jaune managed to catch Akouo and block the strike.

Annoying it, they were.

Killing it?

Not so much.

Jaune rolled away again, mind racing as he tried to figure out a way to bring this thing down once and for all. They were putting dents in it, but there had to be a killing blow. They couldn't do this forever. Eventually, one of them would make a mistake, and that could be fatal.

"Pyrrha, Yang! To me!" Jaune yelled, ducking a swipe from the Deathstalker. "We need to work on this thing together, or we'll never bring it down!" The two of them nodded and got close to Jaune and Blake, the four of them staring the giant Grimm down.

"So." Yang panted out, shaking the tiredness out of her arms. "What's the plan?" Jaune turned to her, realizing that she wasn't the only one waiting. The other two were ready to move, but waiting for his next words.

He wasn't sure he liked that kind of pressure on himself.

No matter.

He told them the plan.

* * *

The Grimm weren't known for having much patience, and even though this one was bigger than average, it seemed to have the same problem, which meant that Jaune only had time to give out short instructions, trusting that the other three would be able to think on their feet for everything else.

When the Deathstalker finally ran out of patience, it charged straight at them, both claws outstretched, intent on crushing at least two of them in its grasp.

Yang and Blake split off to the right, while Jaune and Pyrrha charged forwards, Jaune jumping once, twice off of one of the claws to avoid it, while Pyrrha simply ducked and weaved her way through, her natural grace lending her temporary invincibility.

Pyrrha slammed the shield against the Deathstalker, Jaune using that as a distraction to jab another one of its eyes out, backing up and throwing three knives towards the rest of the eyes, all of them clattering against the bone plating, just barely missing. Jaune ducked past the stinger, rolling to dodge the claw as Pyrrha slammed it again with her shield, making it screech in pain.

Wasting no time, Jaune threw a knife into its gullet, the creature making a strange noise, half pain, half confusion as the knife hit its target.

The inside was vulnerable. Good.

The Deathstalker swept its claw in a half arc, an attack that would've been very hard for Pyrrha to avoid by herself. Luckily, Gambol Shroud looped itself around the redhead's waist, pulling her away from the attack as Yang spung into the air, crashing down with the force of a truck, grimacing as she held the maw of the monster open, shooting the rest of her shotgun ammo into the mouth, making it scream even more. Jaune pulled out a vial of red dust as delicately as he could before chucking it as best he could into the mouth of the thing, yelling "Pyrrha!"

Once again, Blake pulled someone away from the Deathstalker, Yang letting out a whoop as Pyrrha fell to one knee, rifle held level, eyes narrowed in concentration as she fired off a single shot.

The resulting explosion was gory, but glorious.

* * *

 **A/N: God, there's a lot of breaks in this chapter. I'm not sure I love _that_ , but hey, it's the best solution I could come up with. Hopefully this'll be a one off kind of chapter, lol. **


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Chapter's a little on the short side, but I was struggling my heiney off trying to figure out how to write it. Peh. Hopefully I haven't made any of the character** _ **too**_ **OOC.**

* * *

"Ruby!"

Ruby made a panicked sound as Yang tackled her, rubbing their cheeks together.

"That was so badass! Are you hurt anywhere? Is your Aura alright? " Yang separated from Ruby and pointed a stern finger at her. "What were you thinking?!" Ruby blinked rapidly at the flurry of questions.

"Uh. Am I supposed to answer any of that?"

Yang didn't respond, instead hugging her tight, making Ruby squirm uncomfortably. "I'm just glad you're alright."

With a red face, Ruby managed to push her sister away, ignoring the indulgent smiles on everyone else's face. Brushing the imaginary dust off of her cloak, she sidled a little closer to Nora and Ren.

Pyrrha cleared her throat, flushing as she drew attention to herself. Gesturing to the relics that had miraculously stayed intact during the fight, she asked, "Perhaps we should grab the relics and find our way back to Beacon. Preferably before more Grimm find us?"

No one was going to argue with that logic, every partner grabbing a relic. They were discussing how they would all reach Beacon again when they heard the low roar of a Bullhead approaching them. Professor Goodwitch strode out and ushered the group of students into the vehicle, bringing them all back towards the academy.

The rest of the night was a blur to them, with Ozpin congratulating all of them for passing initiation and telling them to wait in the grand hall again so that he could declare proper teams. Names were called out without much ceremony, the group of friends all politely clapping until it was their turn.

Ozpin shifted his glasses, flipping a screen before calling out, "Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Lie Ren. Nora Valkyrie." He waited for a second as they all gathered up onto the small stage before continuing. "Together you obtained the white rook pieces. From now on you will be called Team Rowan, led by... Ruby Rose."

Jaune made sure to clap extra hard at that, although he couldn't help but notice the conflicted look on Ruby's face, as well as the look of shock on Weiss's.

Hopefully they would get along well enough.

Pain blossomed on his left side as Pyrrha elbowed him hard in the ribs, making him wince. Not stopping there, she grabbed his arm, half-dragging him towards the stage until his feet were able to catch up. Apparently he had been too introspective to notice their names being called out.

"Jaune Arc. Pyrrha Nikos. Yang Xiao-Long. Blake Belladonna. Together you obtained the black knight pieces. From now on, you will be called Team Juneberry, led by... Jaune Arc," Ozpin said, staring directly at the boy, who didn't even try to hide the wince on his face.

The two teams had been called pretty close to the end of the ceremony, and it didn't take much longer for the headmaster to wrap it up, assigning room numbers for the teams to stay in for the next four years.

Jaune stared at his scroll, which had the assigned room number blinking on its screen, along with an authorization code that he was to distribute to the rest of his team. So this was it. His first responsibility as a team leader.

* * *

Jaune used his authorization code to slide the door of the room open, hearing a panicked yelp from the inside. A small crash and the sound of rustling papers trailed through the open doorway as Jaune watched his sister sprawl out onto the ground, shutting her scroll tight and fighting a blush that was on her face.

"Uh." Jaune blinked, watching some papers land on Saphron's head. "Is everything alright here?"

His sister nodded her head emphatically, clearing her throat and standing up, placing her scroll on the desk. "Yes. Yes. Of course, why wouldn't everything be okay?"

A blond eyebrow rose on Jaune's face. "Because it just sounded like you just tried to fight a Grimm a second ago. Seriously, what's going on?"

Saphron waved her hand casually, not exactly looking at Jaune in the eyes. "It's nothing, Jaune. You just surprised me." Placing her hands on her hips, one of her eyebrows rose to match his. "Aren't you supposed to moving into your new room by now?"

Jaune deflated a little bit, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Uh. Well. I was just popping by and making sure that you were alright, is all."

Saphron crossed her arms. "Uh huh." It was clear that she didn't believe him. Still, she decided to go along with it. "Well, as crazy as it might sound, me being inside of the academy walls is a _lot_ safer than what you were doing in the Emerald Forest."

"Oh. You saw that?" Jaune asked.

"What, did you really think I wouldn't want to watch and make sure that you were going to be alright?" Saphron shook her head. "Come on. I'm your sister, Jaune. I wasn't going to _not_ watch it."

"I didn't even realize that it was something you could watch," Jaune admitted, the thought never really coming around in his mind.

"Well the Headmaster wasn't going to just throw every student off of a cliff without some way of watching them." She waved a dismissive hand. "He's not crazy."

Because throwing them off of a cliff didn't count as crazy in the first place.

Letting it go, Jaune let out a small cough as he realized the implications that Saphron had been able to watch everything that had happened to Jaune during initiation.

"So, uh." Jaune paused for a second as Saphron smiled, something small, and too innocent. He let out a small sigh. "I'm guessing you saw everything that happened to me."

Saphron shrugged, bending down to pick up the rest of her toppled papers. "I don't know what you mean by that. Are you talking about your fight with the massive Grimm? Your... landing strategy? Or..."

Jaune threw his hands in the air, "Stop beating around the bush, Saph. Just go ahead and say it."

"I'm not sure what you're going on about," Saphron batted her eyelashes. "Could you possibly be talking about the numerous amount of times that I told you to call Pyrrha and explain to her the situation? Something that you said you would get to eventually, but never really did? Is that what you're referring to."

Jaune didn't even try to hide the growl in his voice when he said, "Shut it," before letting out a long sigh. "I get it, I'm in the wrong."

"And don't you forget it," Saphron quipped, "Pyrrha definitely isn't."

"Pyrrha wouldn't hold it over me forever," Jaune said confidently, "She's not that type of person."

Saphron held his gaze for the longest time, his stance slowly losing confidence as she didn't affirm his beliefs. Finally, she shook her head, muttering, "Still as dense as ever, aren't you?"

Jaune didn't give her the satisfaction of answering the question.

There wasn't much talking for a moment as Saphron struggled to get her desk organized, before giving up and letting it go for tonight, resolving to try and straighten everything up tomorrow morning. Jaune looked around the room, trying to think of something to say.

"So." Jaune said, rocking on his heels a little. "What's going on with you?"

Saphron turned to look at him, disbelief written on her face. What? The confusion slowly morphed into an understanding that Jaune had dubbed the 'big sister look'.

"Scared of being in the same room with Pyrrha, huh?"

"What?" Jaune scoffed, crossing his arms petulantly. "No. I can't believe you would say something like that. I'm not scared. Why would I be scared?"

"Okay then," Saphron said, leaning against her desk. "Why're you still here then?"

Jaune hesitated for a second. "I—I need to move all of my clothes and stuff out."

"I did that for you while you were at initiation." Saphron sniped, a lazy smile on her face. She jerked her head towards the suspiciously clean area that Jaune had been living in. "You can check if you want."

He glowered at her. As if he wasn't going to check.

Jaune moved over, crouching down to open up the drawers, finding them all empty. Looking under his bed, he found his suitcase of combat paraphernalia missing, and opening up the closet, he found none of his clothes hanging there.

He turned to look at Saphron whose smile had decided to upgrade from lazy to smug. "You moved everything?" He whispered, a bead of sweat rolling down the back of his neck.

"Everything," She confirmed.

Jaune's fingers twitched a little at the thought of being cornered in the conversation.

"W-well, you shouldn't have. I have a very particular way of organizing my things."

Saphron rolled her eyes, knowing exactly how Jaune 'organized' his belongings. It was a miracle he knew where anything ever was. "I'm sure you'll live," She said drily.

"Well." Jaune said awkwardly. "I guess. I mean, I just want to hang out with you for a little bit before I get back to my team, is all."

"No you don't," she replied back instantly.

"You don't know that." Jaune protested.

Saphron didn't answer, simply standing there and waiting to see if he would have any other excuses that he could throw at her.

"Well, I just don't want to walk in on them changing or anything." Jaune settled on the answer. "That would be impolite."

Again Saphron scoffed, shaking her head. "Just trying to come off as a good leader then, aren't you?"

"I am," Jaune said defiantly, ignoring the mocking tone from Saphron. "And as a good leader I just want to make sure no one is uncomfortable. And seeing as how I'm the only guy, it's only fair for me to make sure they're comfortable first."

Saphron pursed her lips.

"Go to your room, Jaune. You can't hide behind me forever."

Jaune flushed at that, a quiet frown appearing on his face.

"It feels like you're trying to get rid of me."

"I am." Saphron put one of her arms on her desk, putting her cheek against it. "I've got an insane amount of work that I need to do before tomorrow, and you freaking out about your team isn't going to help me whatsoever. Go back to your team. Talk to them. I'm sure you all can find a good middle ground." She waved a dismissive hand. "Shoo."

Jaune's shoulders slumped, his sister effectively shutting him down. "I'm going to miss you." He said in a quiet voice.

Saphron sighed, standing up and moving away from the desk. Grabbing a hold of Jaune, she wrapped him in a hug. "I'm not going anywhere, silly. You'll probably still see me running all around campus. And if you really want to, you've got my scroll number. And you know where I sleep." She pulled away from him, waving a finger. "But only when you actually need my help, and not to run away from anything. Got it?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"Good." Saphron smiled, waiting until Jaune mirrored it before pointing to the door. "Now shoo."

"Alright, alright," Jaune said, finally laughing as he opened the door. "Have fun with all the paperwork. And..." He hesitated for a second. "If you need anything, you know where to find me, too."

"Yeah." Saphron smiled, already opening up her scroll again. "I will."

* * *

Jaune walked into a quiet room.

It was the type of quiet you usually got when walking into a room that had just finished talking about you. Jaune wasn't sure how to gauge everyone's reaction to him walking in, but he could feel the awkwardness in the air now that he walked in.

He knew he should've hung out in Saphron's room for a little longer.

Peering to the side of the room, Jaune found his stuff laying on one of the beds, zipper slightly open. He looked over at Pyrrha, who seemed a little too casual sitting on her bed.

Striding over to his stuff, Jaune pulled the tab of the zipper, seeing if anything had been moved around. It didn't look like it, but Jaune ruffled through the clothes anyways, just to make sure that Pyrrha hadn't decided to sneak a bomb into his clothes or anything.

Paranoia, thy name is Jaune.

The quiet was suffocating, and he finally gave in, clearing his throat and turning around to face his teammates.

"So." Jaune began, trying to think of something to say. "We, uh, did pretty good back there. Real... teamwork... out there."

The three girls tried their best to hold in their laughter.

"Ugh," Jaune ran a hand through his hair, letting out a heavy breath. "Alright, let's be honest here. I've got no idea what I'm doing." No one disagreed on him on that. "I'm kind of surprised Pyrrha wasn't picked to be the team leader, actually."

Pyrrha shrugged, giving Jaune a small half-smile. "I doubt Professor Ozpin would make a mistake when he decided appoint you as our leader."

"Yeah," Yang quipped, "I mean, you were doing pretty good with getting us all to take down that Deathstalker."

"But that was a onetime thing," Jaune protested, "I wasn't even really thinking about leading you guys there."

"Well, I'm sure Beacon is only going to help you become a better leader," Pyrrha said, crossing her arms. "We're not expected to be perfect, after all. We've only just started our road in becoming Huntsmen and Huntresses."

Jaune looked at the three uncompromising girls, wondering if the only reason they were pushing so hard was because none of them wanted to be in charge of this group.

"Fine," Jaune sighed, giving in. "I guess we'll just have to see how everything goes, huh?"

Team JNBY fell into a slightly less awkward silence as everyone unpacked, figuring out who would put what where, and straightening out some semblance of a bathroom schedule. Yang looked ready to fight anyone who wanted to try and claim first, so the order quickly became Yang, Pyrrha, Blake, then Jaune. At least that way, Jaune wouldn't have to worry too much about accidentally walking in on any of the girls.

As it got further into the night, Yang managed to corner him.

Dressed in her pajamas, Yang waited for Jaune to finish changing, tapping her foot on the ground impatiently. After slipping into a pair of sweats and a loose t-shirt, Jaune turned to face her, raising an eyebrow in question.

"We've got some talking to do," Yang said, jerking her head towards the doorway. The other two girls tried their best to look as if they weren't listening, Blake's bow twitching as she flipped through a book while Pyrrha carefully cleaned Milo.

Jaune nodded slowly, grabbing his scroll and stashing it in his pocket, waiting for Yang to do the same before the two of them exited, the blond boy waving a hand for her to follow him.

Opening a doorway to the outside, Jaune found himself on the Beacon rooftops, unable to help the small smile that spread across his face as he stepped through, taking in a deep breath of the outside air. He had found the rooftops a couple weeks back, and had quickly fallen in love with the location. Spacious and quiet, the view that it held was breathtaking, even in the middle of a cloudy night such as this one.

Leaning against the railing, Jaune waited for Yang to take in the sights and gather her thoughts, waiting for a question to be asked.

"You sure know your place around here." Yang commented idly. Jaune couldn't help but be a little surprised by that. He was expecting her to go straight into interrogating him about Raven.

"Yeah," Jaune said slowly, having gathered himself. "My sister and I have been staying here for the past couple of months."

"Homeless?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jaune shrugged. "Not anymore."

Yang sucked in a sharp breath, turning to look at the view that the Beacon rooftops were offering. Jaune joined her, keeping a respectable distance while relaxing his shoulders a little, letting the gentle breeze rustle through his hair.

Finally, Yang brought up the question that was on both of their minds. "How do you know my mother?" She asked quietly, her voice barely a whisper.

"She found us during a Grimm attack that wiped out the rest of my family." Jaune answered back just as quietly, glad that he had been given most of the day to think of an appropriate answer. "She... took us back to her tribe. And trained me."

Yang stared at Jaune, waiting for more to come. But Jaune didn't continue, simply watching the stars and the broken moon in the sky.

"Why?"

Jaune snorted at the question. "I've asked myself the same question, Yang." He turned around, leaning against the railing. "I don't know. Raven's... eccentric," Jaune settled on the word, still not sure if calling someone's mother absolutely nuts was appropriate. "She did things that didn't always make sense, and... I don't know." Jaune shrugged, a little helplessly.

Yang didn't seem to be very satisfied with the answer, but knew still dropped the line of questioning.

"I've spent so long trying to find her, you know." Yang explained softly. "She left when I was still young. Just... gone. No note, no explanation. Just gone." She combed her hand through her hair, slumping against the railing. "I've searched for years, trying to figure out why she left. Wanted to know—to know if it was my fault. Or my dad's fault." Yang closed her eyes, hiding the pain that had started to show through.

"I don't know the answer to that, "Jaune replied honestly. "Raven never really talked about anything, really. Most days was just her tossing me around until was either unconscious or throwing up and calling it training."

Yang let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "That sounds horrible."

Jaune grinned at her. "It was."

The two of them fell silent again, watching the night float along. There were questions. A lot more. But they decided that it could wait for another day. They had four years to learn about each other and their pasts after all, and there was no hurry to rush through it all.

Still.

"So you know where the Branwen tribe is, then?" Yang asked, watching as Jaune stiffened up at the question. There was a tentative nod that Yang mirrored, humming quietly to herself.

"Do you want me to show you where it is?" Jaune asked.

Yang was torn, that much Jaune could see. Emotions played out loudly across her face.

The blonde let out a sigh, shaking her head slowly. "Not... not yet." She whispered. "We just started Beacon, and I don't need the distraction. And Ruby needs me." She settled on a determined expression, eyes flashing red. "I've waited years to find Raven, and I can wait another couple of months. For now."

Jaune couldn't help but be impressed by the decision, not sure if he would've been able to make the same choice.

If someone had told him that someone else from his family was alive and they knew where to find them?

Yeah, Jaune would've stopped at nothing for that answer.

"Alright." Jaune pushed himself up, turning to face the girl. "If there's nothing else...?"

Yang hummed a little, before a smirk played out on her face. "Actually, I do have _one_ more question." Jaune nodded.

"Why does it seem like Blake and Pyrrha hate you?" Yang asked, tilting her head to the side.

Jaune groaned, covering his face with a hand.

* * *

 **A/N: Did you know that originally I was tearing my hair out to try and figure out a good team name for Team Juneberry? I had ended up with Team PBJY, or team Peanut Butter and Jelly... which wouldn't have been a horrible name, per se. Maybe a little tacky, but whatevs. Huge thanks to Konstantinsen for suggesting the much more appropriate name though.**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Ugh. Hope you guys like it.**

* * *

When Jaune turned eleven, Raven had decided to show him how the world worked when you lived in a bandit camp.

A couple days after his birthday, Jaune had settled down to sleep, only to be woken up by a man trying his damndest to kill him.

The first thought was panic. Then fear started sinking in, and with that fear came clarity.

In this world, it was either kill, or be killed.

Jaune had managed to get the man off of him, but that wasn't enough. Raven had picked a man that was fanatical when it came to murder, and he wouldn't stop, would never stop until the man was killed.

So Jaune killed him.

And when Raven sent another during the night, Jaune killed him too.

Raven wasn't the type of person to vocalize much of her 'teachings', but Jaune had gotten the gist of this one. Always be on your toes, even when you're supposed to be sleeping. It was a lesson that stuck with him, even when Jaune and Saphron had escaped the tribe and settled down in Argus. It had taken him weeks before he could get used to the idea of sleeping in the same apartment as Saphron, when he had been so used to sleeping in a tent by himself, where he could sense when someone was getting close to the tent, getting ready to try and enter it.

Saphron hadn't been one to coddle Jaune when it came to his sleeping habits either, deciding that he would get used to this kind of environment eventually, his body unable to handle not sleeping forever. She was right, sort of, and eventually, Jaune was finally comfortable with sleeping in the apartment.

Even when they 'moved' to the academy, Jaune was fine with Saphron being in the same room. It was just another step closer, is all.

Jaune couldn't sleep.

He laid in bed as quietly as possible, eyes staring at the dorm ceiling, trying to pretend that there weren't three other people in the room with him.

How could anyone sleep like this? Why weren't their brains screaming at them, telling them that there were people in the same room as them, that they were in danger?

Jaune would've thought that Blake at the very least would be having the same problem he had, being a trained terrorist. Or did she not have the same training that Jaune had went through? Oh, who was he kidding, of course she didn't. Raven's the only one insane enough to try and teach an eleven year old things like this.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Jaune pulled himself out of bed slowly, trying his best not to wake anyone up. He wasn't sure if he succeeded or not, but also didn't really care. He just needed some fresh air.

Scroll in hand, Jaune left the room, grateful that the doors in Beacon were largely quiet and well oiled.

A place as big as Beacon had a lot of staff in it, and that wasn't just the faculty. There were cafeteria workers, janitors, even a few Bullhead pilots on twenty-four hour standby, no one ever knowing when there might be a need for a Huntsman. The Grimm don't sleep, after all.

Jaune passed by several janitors, most of them preferring to do the more thorough cleaning at night, when most were asleep. A few of them raised their eyebrows when they saw a Beacon student wandering the hallways at night, but most simply went on their way. It wasn't the first time that a new student got curious and decided to explore the hallways during the night.

Jaune had a destination in mind though, finding himself once again on the Beacon rooftop. Leaning against the railing, Jaune let out a breath, welcoming the open air. Buildings always felt so stuffy in comparison to the night sky.

He could remember the nights when he ended up sleeping outside of his tent, the night air just warm enough to be comfortable.

It wasn't always bad in the Branwen tribe.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Jaune turned, finding himself face to face with Pyrrha, who was leaning on the entrance door. He shook his head. "Hard to fall asleep in a new place," Jaune said, getting a nod from Pyrrha.

"I can understand that. I'm surprised that they didn't give us a weekend to get adjusted, but I'm sure there won't be much to go over on the first day of classes."

Jaune nodded, agreeing with her.

Pyrrha looked up at the sky, a soft smile on her face. She was always a good looking girl, and even in her nightwear she was a sight. Or maybe it was just Jaune's hormones telling him so.

Or maybe it was both.

"It's strange," Pyrrha commented, pulling Jaune out of his thoughts, "I didn't realize how different the night sky would be here in Vale as opposed to Mistral." She pointed to a grouping of dim stars. "The constellations are all so slightly different."

Jaune raised an eyebrow at that. "I didn't realize you knew anything about constellations." Pyrrha looked at him, eyes unreadable as she smiled.

"You're not the only one who can withhold information, you know."

Jaune wasn't sure if she was simply teasing or being passive-aggressive, but he got the message, even if she didn't mean to send it. Making a pained noise, Jaune turned his body so that he could stand completely face to face with her.

"I'm sorry, Pyrrha," Jaune said, quietly, firmly. "I should've called or messaged you. Done something to let you know that I was still alive." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Things happened really quickly, and I'll have to admit that by the time we had arrived in Beacon, it had slipped my mind."

Pyrrha didn't react to his apology, simply watching the stars some more. It took another minute or three before she even looked at him, and even then, her thoughts were masked. Jaune had learned how good Pyrrha was at hiding her feelings when they had become friends in Argus, and it pained him a little to see her do it to him.

"Words can mean very little," Pyrrha said finally. Her tone made it obvious that she didn't mean it in a hurtful way, simply wanting to just bring out the statement.

"I mean it," Jaune said solidly, getting a small nod from Pyrrha.

"Then prove it with actions," She countered, eyes holding him sternly. "I've heard those words a dozen times, Jaune. Sponsors promising the world to me, tournament organizers telling me 'things will be different this time'." She shook her head, again, not in cruelty, making sure Jaune understood that. "Let me see if you really mean it."

Jaune stared at her. He had forgotten how jaded Pyrrha could be sometimes. Most days she was a force of positivity and politeness, but Jaune had seen some of her harder days. The days when all the pressures of being the Invincible Girl got to her. The days when she broke down and explained expectations that had fallen flat, friends that weren't friends, promises that were only meant to be broken.

And now, Jaune was in that category as well.

He knew that she wanted to believe in him. She wanted to put her faith in him.

But faith was something she lost so long ago, and Jaune didn't help her there.

Finally, Jaune nodded, running a hand through his hair.

"It's late," He said, gesturing to the broken moon with a jerk of his chin. "We should get some rest. Don't want to be sleep deprived on the first day of the school year."

Pyrrha smiled at him, nodding.

* * *

The start of the first day of the school year was uneventful, to say the least.

Nothing had really happened, except the snow-haired girl, Weiss Schnee, had volunteered to fight a Boarbatusk, almost screaming at Ruby afterwards as well.

Jaune wasn't sure he liked that girl so much.

It only got more exciting when everyone filtered into the combat room, where Professor Goodwitch held combat classes. The crowd of students muttered up a storm as she stood in the middle of the platform, eyes sweeping through them while they settled into their seats.

She waited a little longer than necessary, until there was an absolutely oppressive silence, only made worse by her steady gaze.

If Jaune hadn't been a recipient of that glare a couple times already, he would've probably broken into nervous sweats.

"Congratulations on almost making it through the first day at Beacon Academy." The blonde professor spoke in a normal voice at a normal volume, as opposed to the boisterous boom that Professor Port spoke in, or the rapid-fire word vomit that Professor Oobleck threw at them. That wasn't to say it got lost in the crowd. In fact, the room got even quieter, if that was even possible, to make sure that they didn't miss anything that the professor said.

"This is the last class of the day, and it entails much of the same thing that most have experienced in other schools. You will be paired up. You will fight." Her glasses flashed in the light. "You will improve."

The whole classroom took a collective gulp nervously.

Again Professor Goodwitch let silence fall before continuing to speak.

"We will begin with a Mr. Lie Ren, and Russel Thrush."

The sparring was interesting, at least to Jaune. Every pair that came up had a different style of fighting, which made sense, Jaune supposed. Everyone had a different weapon, so everyone had to fight differently. Was Jaune the weird one for having more than one weapon on himself? Even the students who had different ways of fighting generally stuck with a single weapon that would shift into other forms, giving themselves a good way of versatility.

Jaune never really got a chance to witness Huntsmen and Huntresses fight that much, even if everyone that did wasn't considered a fully fledged Huntsmen yet. To be honest, Jaune really only experienced that kind of fighting when he had participated in that tournament against Pyrrha. But a lot of these guys were a lot better than the contestants that he had fought with, barring Pyrrha, of course.

Still, there was something Jaune wasn't a big fan of when he watched the fights. Things moved... a lot. Jaune hummed to himself, drawing a raised eyebrow from his teammates, which he ignored. He couldn't think of a good way to say it. There was a... lot, to the sparring. Excessiveness, Jaune thought. Even the ones who were supposed to be fast still found a way to add an extra step to their fight, a little special 'oomph' that Jaune wasn't sure was entirely necessary.

Flashy, Jaune realized, as another student fell into a back flip, flying through the air and landing on one foot, weapon outstretched.

Every student had a degree of flashiness to them that Jaune had never even considered putting into his own movements. And they fought so... fairly. It was nuts. There were no neck shots, no blinding feints paired with flashing strikes to vulnerable areas...

Was this the way Huntsmen were _supposed_ to fight?

Had he been doing it wrong the whole time?

No, Jaune thought to himself. To begin with, Jaune wasn't a Huntsmen. He was in Beacon through luck and maybe a bit of outside intervention, but he had never trained to become a hero.

Raven had raised him to be a killer.

Jaune wasn't sure if he would get in trouble if he fought the way Raven had taught him to, but it wasn't like he could just change it up on such a short notice. If the professor called him up to fight, he would fight, and if he did it wrong, Jaune supposed Professor Goodwitch would have to teach him how to fight right.

That's what she was there for, right?

"Very good." The professor said as the last two left the platform. Looking at the large tablet in her hand, she scrolled through a list a names before speaking, "It looks like there's time for one more bout. Can Mr. Jaune Arc and Mr. Cardin Winchester come up to the platform, please?"

Jaune took in a deep breath.

Here we go.

Hopping onto the platform, Jaune shook out the creeping tension in his arms, mentally going through his checklist of what he had on him. Professor Goodwitch raised an eyebrow, looking at the boy.

"Mr. Arc. I am giving you time to fetch your weapons and any armor that you might wear before we start this bout."

Jaune furrowed his brow, nodding once. "Thank you, Ms. Goodwitch," He said, but didn't move. The teacher's gaze sharpened for a second before a look of approval passed through.

"Very well." She said, returning her attention back to her tablet.

It took about five minutes before his opponent was ready, bursting through the locker rooms that were connected to the room, a look that one less forgiving would call as arrogant on his face as he swaggered towards the platform. He hoisted a heavy looking mace on his shoulder, his boots rattling against the greaves, his slow pace almost surely an attempt to intimidate.

Jaune simply touched a finger onto his own hip, making sure that he had a stiletto on him, something long and thin that would fit through the cracks of Cardin's breastplate.

Waiting until Cardin found his place on the platform, Professor Goodwitch looked at the two of them, tapping something on her tablet as she started speaking.

"This match will last for three minutes. Your goal during this spar is to either get your opponent's Aura down to the red, or have more Aura by the end of the time limit." Two bars stretched out on a screen above them, their faces appearing next to the bars. "You can also win if you can get the opponent to fall out of the ring, or if they surrender." She looked at the two of them carefully, double and triple checking everything. "Are there any questions?"

The redhead spoke up.

"Yeah. Do I get a special prize if I win in under a minute?" Cardin jabbed a thumb at Jaune, smirking. "Doesn't look like this is going to take that long."

Jaune tapped his fingers against his waistband.

"No." Professor Goodwitch said, turning to look at Jaune. "Any other questions?"

Jaune shook his head, Cardin following suit after a second's delay.

"Very well. On my count." She took a step backwards. "Begin."

Movement began the instant the first syllable was uttered, Jaune moving straight towards the other boy. Cardin wasn't in Beacon for nothing though, reacting quickly enough to bring his mace down in a long arc, intent on smashing it through Jaune's skull and stopping his charge.

It might've worked, except Jaune stomped hard a couple feet away from Cardin, stopping himself mid-charge and waiting for the mace to clear the length of his body, resuming momentum the instant the boy was open.

That's when things got a little wonky.

One second he had pulled out a stiletto, intent on jamming it down one of the overlaps of the breastplate, and the next second Jaune found himself flying through the air, landing on his back several feet away.

Dazed, Jaune had to prioritize Aura recovery towards his mind for a moment, clearing his muddled state just enough to see Cardin towering above him, Jaune diving out of the way.

This time, due to the fact that Jaune wasn't standing on top of where the mace had landed, Jaune was able to hear the roaring explosion the moment the mace touched the ground. Spinning neatly around, Jaune spotted the two craters where Cardin's mace had missed him and mentally slapping himself upside the head.

Of course his opponent wouldn't just be carrying an ordinary mace. This was Beacon, after all, and Jaune was the only one would be crazy enough to bring something as normal as a bunch of throwing knives to this school.

Okay. Adjustments.

Jaune could do adjustments.

The first round of volleys thrown, the two boys circled each other, Jaune's eyes narrowed as his mind raced to try and think of a way around mace. With the addition of the mace exploding, Jaune would have to move clear of the mace and continue to do so for much further than he would like. Cardin basically had his whole front guarded. Slipping through would be a challenge.

Glancing up at the screen, Jaune saw that Cardin was marginally ahead in Aura, something that Cardin noticed, judging from the smug smirk on his face.

So Cardin probably wasn't going to throw away his advantage, which meant that Jaune would have to figure out a way to strike him first—

Cardin charged forward.

Not expecting it, Jaune froze, making the dodge away a much closer call than what he was hoping. Cardin didn't stop there, pivoting in the direction where Jaune jumped and swinging his mace again, in that same stupid downwards arc.

Again, Jaune was forced to back away further than he would like to avoid the splash damage. He knew he couldn't keep dodging forever though, pulling out a balanced, but ordinary throwing knife, chucking it at Cardin's face.

It had the intended effect, getting the boy to flinch and giving Jaune a split second to prepare something else to attack with. Pulling out his new toys so early on in the year disappointed Jaune a little bit.

But damn was he excited to try this one out.

Cardin recovered as Jaune moved into the mace's range, pulling it up into yet another overhead swing. Jaune flicked another blade that he had kept in his hand, so close that Cardin had no way of dodging the blade.

The handle smacked hard against Cardin's nose as his mace rose past his target, the knife shattering like sugar glass, smoke covering his head and causing him to lose balance and stumble backwards. Jaune continued stepping forwards, pulling a thin blade out and slamming it into Cardin's armpit, Aura flaring brightly before the blade snapped from the opposing force, the handle flying out of Jaune's hand.

Cursing, Jaune pulled out a heftier blade, cutting through one of the straps on Cardin's shoulder plate, the spaulder slipping off and clanging on the ground. Finally recovering, Cardin swung a meaty hand at Jaune, who ducked underneath and slammed the blade against his exposed shoulder, getting a pained hiss as Cardin hurried to take some steps back, getting some space to swing his weapon.

And flailed his arms as one of his feet found one of the craters that he had left with his mace.

Jaune didn't waste a moment, slipping past Cardin's windmilling arms, unclipping his looping leather bracelet as he did so.

As heavily armored as Cardin was, Jaune couldn't play a game of attrition. He wasn't any good at it. Raven had beat into him ways to quickly incapacitate people, using surprise and ambush to his advantage.

Jaune had stamina, but in a fight like this, Cardin would simply tank anything Jaune threw at him, content on just getting a single, solid hit.

So Jaune improvised.

Moving in a way so that the two of them ended up back to back, Jaune looped the leather strip into a large hoop, hands wrapped tightly around both ends as he slipped it around Cardin's neck. Jaune took a deep breath and heaved downwards, getting a panicked gasp from the other boy.

Bending his knees, Jaune pulled, and kept pulling until Cardin was laid across his back. Making sure that his grip on the improvised garrote was secure, Jaune unbent his knees, lifting Cardin off his feet and letting gravity do his work for him.

Aura or no, cutting off the air will stop a man from doing much.

Cardin wasn't very light, and the flailing made it hard for Jaune to keep his balance, but through careful footwork and sheer determination, Jaune was able to keep himself upright.

It didn't take much longer for Cardin's movements to slow down, then stop completely. Voices floated around in his head, but Raven's voice spoke the loudest in Jaune's mind.

 _He could be faking it._

Jaune held on.

"That's ENOUGH!" Professor Goodwitch roared, startling Jaune enough for his grip to loosen, Cardin collapsing into a lifeless heap.

The blonde professor pushed past Jaune, kneeling over Cardin and placing fingers along his neck. Jaune waited for her to finish.

"What... were you thinking?" Professor Goodwitch hissed out, stepping towards Jaune. "You could've killed him!"

Jaune crossed his arms. "I could've," He agreed.

Professor Goodwitch's eyes flashed in anger, before rational thought took a hold of her. She watched the unrepentant boy, and reminded herself what the boy had gone through.

She sighed.

"Mr. Arc, in the future, please refrain from doing anything that could seriously harm or _kill_ one of your fellow students."

"What?" Jaune scrunched up his face, confused. "How're you supposed to fight without hurting the other person?"

"Restrain yourself from hurting them in ways that Aura could not prevent," The professor said, crossing her arms. "This is not up for discussion, Mr. Arc. This is a school for Huntsmen and Huntresses. Not assassins."

Jaune didn't stop frowning, but relented with a slow nod, stepping off of the platform as she dismissed him.

Three boys stood up and moved toward the stage, presumably Cardin's teammates, and picked him up, heading to the infirmary. They shot murderous glares at Jaune as they passed by, who didn't notice.

Professor Goodwitch got everyone's attentions with a slap of her riding crop.

"This goes for everyone else, as well," She spoke loudly, making sure everyone in the room could hear her. "While Jaune displayed a certain amount of ingenuity in taking down a larger opponent and bypassing their Aura, such routes should only be considered when your life is truly on the line," Her glasses shone as she moved her head to look at every student. "While you are on this platform, I will _not_ permit any voluntary endangerment of life. Am I understood?"

The crowd of kids mumbled their assent.

"Good. Class is dismissed."

Jaune stood up, gathering his bag and headed towards the exit. The rest of the students lagged behind him, making room for him to walk through, their eyes trailing him as they whispered to each other. Jaune ignored the whispers and stares, something he had learned to do years ago, when the Branwen bandits did the same thing.

He ignored everyone until he reached the lunch room, happy to receive something to eat. Sitting down at a empty table, Jaune bit into a chicken nugget, mentally thanking the Headmaster for catering such a food option. Seats pulled out beside him, his team and Team Rowan sitting down around him.

He looked up, finding all of them staring openly at Jaune, like an animal in an exhibit. Jaune shifted a little in his seat, uncomfortable with the attention.

"What?" He finally asked, glancing at Pyrrha in hopes that she would shed some light into the stares. Instead, Ruby was the one to speak up, her voice hushed and quiet.

"That was pretty harsh, Jaune."

The blond raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Everyone exchanged looks with each other.

"The... the fight," Ruby continued, worry clear in her eyes. "What you did... was..." Ruby pursed her lips, looking around the table helplessly. Yang spoke up to cover her sister.

"That was brutal." The blonde girl said simply. "It looked like you were about to kill the guy."

Jaune pushed a nugget to the side of his plate slowly, before looking up at the group. He shrugged, unsure of what to say. "It was a fight," was what he settled on, unable to think of something else to say to justify what he did.

He still wasn't sure why he needed to in the first place. It was a fight. Kill or be killed. Well, sort of. Jaune wouldn't have just killed the other boy. He just had to make sure all of the fight was out of Cardin before Jaune set him down. He would've been fine.

Probably.

The rest of lunch was passed in silence.

* * *

 **A/N: Fun, fun, fun.**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Jayzus this one was a pain to write. I just couldn't bring myself to actually make this one make sense. It's ridiculous. I actually ended up deleting the whole chapter and rewriting it after I got halfway through with writing it. Smh. Oh well, at least I'm somewhat happy with this. Let me know what you guys think.**

* * *

"What're you reading?"

The voice startled Jaune so badly that he nearly fell out of his chair, slamming the book shut and covering the cover with his hand, shooting Yang a guilty look. Yang's grin grew a little wider as she tried to weave around him, trying to figure out what he was reading.

"You didn't steal one of Blake's books, did you? She already seems to hate your guts, I'm pretty sure she would kill you if she found out about it."

"I didn't steal anything from Blake." Jaune said, sliding the book onto his lap and scooting forwards, hiding the cover underneath the desk. "It's kind of hard to do that when she doesn't take her eyes off of me when we're in the same room."

"It's because she wants you."

Jaune choked a little, even though he knew that was a joke. At least it got a laugh out of Yang.

"Are you ever going to tell me why she hates you so much?" Yang asked, hopping into a chair and rolling it over to Jaune's desk, plopping an elbow on top, leaning a little too close to him. Jaune leaned back a little bit, shifting uncomfortably.

"It's a long story." Jaune deflected.

"You've got somewhere to go?" Yang asked back, raising an eyebrow. Jaune glared at her, which didn't really do anything except make him feel a little better.

Jaune sighed, slumping a little. "Do you need something from me, Yang?" She shrugged, tossing her hair to the side.

"Just wondering what you're reading." She said cheekily, getting another groan from Jaune.

"You're really persistent, aren't you?" Jaune said, casting an annoyed look at her. "Is there anything else you need besides that?" Yang hummed, pretending to think for a second, tapping her chin.

"Not really. Kind of bored, actually."

"Schoolwork?"

"Finished," Yang said, waving a hand. "Finished?" Jaune repeated, blinking in confusion. She nodded slowly. "Yeah. What part of that didn't you understand?"

"I just..." Jaune shook his head. "Never mind."

"You think just because I'm blonde I'm not smart?" Yang's voice took on a dangerous edge, which hinted to Jaune that he needed to start backpedaling, and fast.

"That's not what I meant!" Jaune covered hurriedly. "Besides, I'm blond too, so I can't really say that about you, can I?" Yang narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah, but in your case, it's true."

Jaune blinked.

Yang grinned, breaking the fake glare that she was giving him.

"It's not like I've had much of a proper education." Jaune said, slouching. "Sorry that I'm so incompetent when it comes to being a proper team leader."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Yang said, waving a hand to stop him from moping. "I didn't say anything about you being a bad team leader. Where's this coming from?"

Jaune pursed his lips, staring resolutely through the window, watching the clouds and the hovering sun. Yang waited patiently to see if Jaune would say anything.

What could he really say? It wasn't like it was pretty obvious that he was a horrible leader. She didn't need to say anything. Everyone already showed their opinions of him after he fought with Cardin in Professor Goodwitch's room with all of the staring and muttering. What was Ozpin thinking?

Jaune shrugged, moving to stand up before Yang grabbed his shoulder, pushing him back down in the seat.

"Seriously, do you really think you're a bad leader?" She asked.

Jaune shrugged again. "I mean, it's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Jaune asked, running a hand through his hair. "I've got no idea what I'm doing. Half my team pretty much hates me. I can barely look at you without thinking about Raven. I almost killed a student on the first day of classes, and I don't have any idea what I'm doing wrong." Jaune threw his hands up in the air, ignoring the thump of the book as it slid off of his lap onto the floor. "I wouldn't have even known I was doing something wrong if you guys weren't staring at me like I had actually killed Cardin."

He didn't bother looking at Yang as he talked, not wanting to see whatever the expression on her face was. Instead, Jaune shifted his head to the other side, staring at his bed. Not for the first time, he wondered if it had really been a good idea for him to become a student at Beacon.

"I didn't realize you had so much trouble with me," Yang said in a soft voice. He wasn't sure he liked the tone that Yang was using, it being so different compared to her normal boisterousness. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Jaune replied back, still not looking at her. "After all, it's not like you chose to look like the woman." Yang didn't say anything to that. "To be honest, that's not really the worst problem," Jaune admitted, turning slowly to look at the girl. "I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually. After all, you act nothing like your mother."

Yang's expression was complicated, until it settled into a smile. "Yeah," she said softly, tapping a finger on the desk, gratitude obvious but unspoken. "You know, it's not like we're terrified of you or anything. We were just... shocked at how brutal you were during that fight."

"It's how I learned to fight," Jaune said simply. Raven hadn't really given him any wiggle room when it came to attacking someone. Either you dropped him or he dropped you, and that was that. There was no room for mercy or pulled punches.

"I can understand that," Yang said, nodding. "You weren't really trained in a Huntsman academy until Beacon, so you've probably never even seen how flashy we usually are."

Jaune thought back to the tournament that he had entered back in Argus, and all of the contestants that tended to love their excessive movements and telegraphed attacks. "I've seen a little bit," Jaune said, "And I saw how you guys fought during Professor Goodwitch's class, as well as when we were all fighting the Deathstalker."

"True," Yang allowed. "Although watching us for one class and one Grimm fight doesn't really cover everything about us." She pursed her lips, humming a little.

"Something on your mind?"

"Well, I think there might be a way to solve all of your problems." Yang said, getting a surprised grunt from the boy. "I mean, I don't think it'll be a perfect plan, but it's better than," Yang swooped down, grabbing the book that had been laying on the floor and reading out the title. " _Tips and Tricks on being a Stellar Team Leader_. Where'd you even find this anyways?" Yang asked, laughing a little as Jaune snatched it out of her hands, ears turning pink. "Man, the library's got some crazy stuff, huh?"

"Get to the point." Jaune snapped, stuffing the book into his bag and reminding himself to return it as soon as possible.

Yang didn't answer, happy to let her grin do so for her.

* * *

"Why are we going to the combat rings again, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked politely, jogging a little bit to catch up to the striding boy. Blake nodded in agreement, although she didn't voice it out loud. Jaune looked at Yang for some support, getting a cheery thumbs up from her.

"Well, I was hoping that we would be able to practice... together?" Jaune said hopefully, glancing at his teammates. "I know I haven't really been a really good... guy or anything, but I'm hoping that I could be a good team leader and get to know everyone." Even though he knew Pyrrha and sort of knew Blake already. "And maybe we can use that time to smooth out any kinks, you know?"

Blake's bow twitched, her eyes narrowing. Well. It was worth a try.

Pyrrha, on the other hand, softened at the words, her polite smile turning into a more genuine one. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Jaune. What do you have in mind?" Jaune smiled gratefully, nodding at her.

"Well, I was hoping for everyone to spar with each other, just so that we can all get used to knowing each other's fighting styles. Then maybe we'll pair up and shuffle around and just... spar?"

"That sounds fun." Yang commented, winking at Jaune. Blake pursed her lips.

"It doesn't sound like there's much time to communicate between all of the fighting." Blake said, not exactly sour, but not exactly enthusiastic either. Yang rolled her eyes, slowing down to grab Blake by the shoulders, making the girl hiss in surprise, her eyes narrowing to slits.

"Fighting _is_ communicating, Blakey. Don't worry, at least this way, no one can really lie or hide anything about ourselves."

Jaune ignored Blake's glare at him, sweat touching his neck.

Opening the door to the gym, the four of them entering to find the room already occupied.

Saphron held a straight sword chest high, panting heavily as she stared down a relaxed looking Professor Goodwitch, as well as a... dummy?

Team JNBY fell silent as they watched the professor wave her riding crop, the dummy shivering to life and standing, holding a similarly sharp sword in its hand. It advanced clumsily, but quickly, Jaune noticing that it more or less floated over, feet sliding along as if it was rollerblading.

Saphron met the dummy head on, steel ringing out on steel. Jaune raised his eyebrows, respect growing for his sister. She was improving. He hadn't seen her fight with a weapon in years, but it seemed like something she hadn't completely forgot, her footwork actually decent as she retreated, blade waving almost gracefully through the air as she struck for the dummy's ribs and legs.

Dummy slid away, avoiding the strikes and baiting Saphron to lunge forward, which she did before flinching, a rock zooming towards her face, barely missing her as she stopped and leaned to the side, gritting her teeth as Dummy took advantage of the lapse of concentration, swinging repeatedly towards her midriff and arms.

Two or three more rocks floated through the air, approaching with a speed similar to someone speed-walking, Saphron batting the stones away with her blade, another obvious exercise in accuracy.

The exchange lasted for almost a minute before Dummy jerked forward a little too suddenly, something that no human could feasibly do. It threw the younger woman off enough that she missed her parry, yelping as the dummy's blade smacked her across the side of the temple, staggering backwards. Dummy didn't let up, stabbing her ribs and then sweeping her off of her feet, Saphron landing with a hard thump.

Jaune let out a low whistle of sympathy.

Striding down to the ring, Jaune called out to his sister. "You alright, sis?" Saphron groaned in answer, covering her eyes with her forearm. Professor Goodwitch gave him a nod in greeting, letting Dummy slide onto the floor, inert.

"Mr. Arc. I didn't realize that it was this late. Your sister and I will head out soon."

"It's okay. I didn't even realize that anyone else would be using the gym so soon during the school year." Jaune leaned over, grabbing Saphron's outstretched arms and pulling her onto her feet, getting a pained whimper from her. Goodwitch walked over and placed a hand on Saphron, helping support her.

"You would actually be surprised. The second to fourth year students understand that the sooner they start to practice, the better, so the rooms will start to fill up quickly. That's not discounting the fact that you won't be the only first year team leader that will have this idea." She nodded at the girls as they approached.

As they were greeting the professor, Jaune leaned over and whispered into Saphron's ear. "How're you feeling?"

"Like shit," Saphron hissed out, brushing a limp bang out of her eyes. "Help me."

"Why? I thought you were done."

Saphron sagged a little bit, "She's just going to move rooms and continue where we left off. Help."

Jaune looked down at the sword attached to Saphron's hip. "I don't think I want to get on the professor's bad side. I didn't realize you were going back to fighting with a sword." He commented, swinging wide to try and change the subject.

Saphron noticed, but didn't comment, only pouting a little before she answered. "It's how I learned when Vernal was teaching me. I didn't feel like relearning a whole new weapon all over again."

The blond eyed the sword, thinking. "Is that all you're carrying? I mean, a sword is better than nothing, but it's kind of..."

"Lacking?" Saphron supplied, getting a nod from her brother. "It is. But like you said, it's better than nothing. And let's be honest here. It's not like I'll ever be able to train enough to be able to beat Raven."

Jaune snorted at the thought. "Not with that attitude."

Professor Goodwitch interrupted their banter before it could fully start. "I think it's time for us to depart. Actually, the Headmaster just messaged me. He needs us for something, Saphron." Jaune raised an eyebrow. Saphron?

His sister nodded, a look of relief visible on her face as she shifted her weight so that she was standing on her own weight. "That sounds good to me, Glynda. Give me a couple minutes to shower and change and I'll catch up to you."

The teacher nodded, "Very well. I'll see you in a little bit, then."

As she departed, Jaune turned to his sister, tilting his head a little. "Glynda?"

She shrugged, trying not to look too smug, but doing so anyways. "We're coworkers, after all. It's only fair that we're on a first name basis."

"Uh huh."

Jaune watched his sister leave with a bemused expression before shaking his head, turning his attention on his more immediate problems. Three girls looked at him with varying expressions, from curious to suspicious.

"My sister," Jaune supplied vaguely, getting more confused looks from Yang, and another twitch of the bow from Blake. Pyrrha simply nodded, having already been acquainted with the older sibling. Clapping his hands, Jaune exclaimed, "Alright! It's time to break some sweat!"

* * *

Team JNBY spent the next two hours wailing at each other, chipping up the small area with explosions of Dust rounds and sharp projectiles. It was freeing, in a way, to just stop talking and focus on something that every single one of them knew well: fighting.

Yang soared through the air with the help of her shotgun gauntlets, crashing into a clone of Blake, dodging a flying shield and taking a swing at a flickering form, blond hair the only thing she could touch.

Pyrrha deflected two sharp blades flying her way with a wave of her hand, retreating hastily against Yang's onslaught of fists, before grappling with a Blake that had almost appeared out of nowhere.

Jaune and Blake attacked wherever they could, making sure not to be run over by the freight yellow and red freight trains, poking defenses and retreating before they could be entangled into a prolonged engagement.

It was fun, Jaune thought to himself. Looking at the other girls, he was happy to see that even Blake seemed content, happy to concentrate on improving.

The brawling only stopped when Blake collapsed, gasping heavily for breath, hands raised in the air to show that she needed to step out. Hopping off of the raised platform, she headed towards the connecting locker room. Jaune waited for the door to shut before he raised his hands as well, leaving the two girls to finish clashing it out while he hopped down and went to the opposite locker room.

Showering quickly, Jaune changed and exited, sitting down and watching the last moments of the fight between his two teammates, the match ending abruptly as Pyrrha ducked blow a haymaker and slammed Akouo into Yang's nose, sending her sprawling onto the ground.

Yang burst out laughing, sitting up and shaking her head, rubbing her nose. "Good hit," She said ruefully, blinking tears away from her eyes. Jaune clapped politely, smiling as Pyrrha held out a hand to help the other girl up, the two of them grinning at each other.

The doors to the girls' locker room opened, Blake walking out with a towel in her hands, drying out the last bits of moisture clinging onto her hair.

"Well, I'm drenched," Yang announced as she noticed the faunus, shaking her blonde mane of hair as she did so. "I think it's time for the two of us to check into the shower." Wrapping an arm around a confused looking Pyrrha, she winked at Jaune. "We've got to compare notes, after all."

"N-notes? What kind of notes are we talking about?" Pyrrha trailed, practically getting dragged into the locker room by the blonde girl.

The doors shut, leaving Jaune and Blake alone, the two of them staring at each other, unsure of what to do next.

Finally Jaune gestured at an empty spot on the bench, getting the girl to sit down reluctantly.

It felt like forever before Blake spoke, her voice soft.

"This was a good idea." She said, eyes piercing into Jaune.

The blond nodded. "Thank you."

She continued to stare, eyes hiding any emotion as she seemed to catalogue Jaune. He wondered what she saw when she looked at him.

"You know what I am." It wasn't a question.

Jaune nodded.

"I do."

Blake's bow twitched again, her eyes sharpening. But she didn't say anything. Waiting for Jaune to speak, it seemed.

"You know what I am." Jaune echoed, another statement.

Blake nodded.

"I do."

The two of them fell silent again, each of them swirling in thoughts, but hidden to the other.

Blake had been a terrorist. But she was a student in Beacon now, and she had to have a good reason to hide her heritage. But most importantly, she was genuine when she fought in the ring, and while Jaune wasn't the best at reading situations, he thought he could see a glimpse of truth.

Maybe she was like him.

Maybe she was thinking the same thing.

The two of them nodded at each other, an unspoken agreement between them.

Leave the past in the past. They didn't have to trust each other right away, but that didn't mean that they should tiptoe around each other so much. They were teammates. Eventually, they would have to rely on the other to have their backs. That meant that they couldn't keep eyeing each other, waiting for the other to slip up so that they could be right about not trusting the other. Sooner or later, one would break if they kept that up.

An embarrassed yelp emanated through the girls' locker room, getting the two to break their stare, turning to look at the door. Another minute passed before Yang practically skipped out, hands on the back of her head, a smug look on her face.

Pyrrha came into the room a minute later, face as red as her hair as she glared at the blonde girl, eyes sending daggers that bounced harmlessly off of Yang.

"What happened—" Jaune asked, before Pyrrha turned to glare at him as well, getting him to shut up, teeth clacking against teeth.

"It's a little girl talk, Jaune," Yang guffawed, "It's just between the two of us, right?" Pyrrha turned to send murder at Yang again, before sighing.

"Yes."

Jaune turned to look at the two of them, still not understanding. Turning to Blake, he raised an eyebrow, getting a shrug from her.

Jaune sighed, muttering something about women.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: I think I may be getting back into my groove. Yay. Let me know what you guys think.**

* * *

Jaune found Ruby at the Beacon gardens.

If he was more of a poet, he would've described her as more than just a girl touching the flowers that grew, admiring the artistry and layout that the Beacon gardeners had put into it. The sight brought him to a stop at the doorway, simply watching her for a second. She turned to spot him standing in the doorway, a smile blooming on her face.

"Hey, Jaune." She said quietly, getting a nod from him before she turned her attention to the flowers.

"I didn't expect to see you here," Jaune said, wanting to say something to try and break the ice. He had been hoping that he would be alone for a little while, but now that there was someone here, the silence felt a little stilted. "What're you doing? Besides looking at the flowers, I mean."

Ruby giggled, raising her eyebrows. "I'm just looking at the flowers, silly. I didn't realize that I needed another reason to be here," She teased.

Jaune shrugged, "I just would've thought that you would've been knee deep in the armory, or something."

"I was, until I got kicked out," Ruby said, pouting a little. "Apparently, visiting three times a day is a little too much." Jaune laughed at that. "So I guess I just ended up here. What about you?"

Jaune scratched the back of his neck. "Just... wandering around, too, I guess."

"Really? You're not just hiding from Cardin?" Ruby said, a small smile on her face. Jaune crossed his arms.

"I am not hiding from them." Jaune griped, scowling. "I just don't want to get in trouble for hanging them off of the Beacon cliffs, is all."

Ruby gave a sidelong glance at him, a frown playing on the edges of her face.

"I think you should tell the teachers if you're being bullied," Ruby said quietly, one of her hands twisting the edges of her cloak.

"I'm not being bullied," Jaune said, rolling his eyes. "Wouldn't they have to catch me first to bully me?" He waved a hand in the air, stopping Ruby from saying anything. "Cardin's just butthurt about getting beaten in the fight. I'm sure things will blow over soon."

Judging from the look on Ruby's face, she didn't seem to think so.

"I'm pretty sure Cardin doesn't think that you won that fight fair and square." Ruby offered, getting a confused look from Jaune.

"What? That doesn't make any sense. How is me knocking him unconscious not a win?"

"I... just think that maybe he thinks you didn't fight him properly, is all."

Jaune stared at the girl, uncomprehending. "That sentence didn't even make any sense."

Ruby made a frustrated noise, shaking her head, before falling silent. A feeling wormed its way into his stomach. Instead of facing it though, Jaune turned away from the other team leader, content with pretending he didn't know the problem.

Maybe Ruby would just let it go.

"Where... where did you learn how to fight?" Ruby asked, changing tactics. Jaune didn't look at her, letting out a sigh. How many times did he have to answer that question.

"Did Yang not tell you anything?" Jaune asked instead of answering. Ruby crossed her arms, pouting a little.

"Yang my big sister. She doesn't always tell me everything that happens to her."

Jaune thought about Saphron, and how she had been putting away her scroll every time he walked into the room. About her locked doors and kicking him out of her room.

"Yeah," Jaune nodded, "I can understand that." Ruby turned to look at him expectantly. A tired noise escaped Jaune as he pushed his bangs away from his face. "I was trained by Raven. Yang's mother. I don't know how much you know about her, but she wasn't really one for flashy fighting."

Ruby crossed her arms, her frown deepening. "I see."

The two fell into silence, Jaune wondering what Ruby was thinking about as she knelt down to smell one of the flowers.

"How... how's your team doing?" Jaune asked, eager to find a change of topic. Ruby perked up, turning to smile at him.

"We're doing good! Well, we weren't doing great at the beginning." Ruby stood up, gesturing with her hands as she talked. "Weiss, my partner, wasn't really happy about not being the team leader. But after a talk or two, it looks like she's more... accepting, I guess? I don't know, I'm just glad she seems to be all for helping me out with being a leader." Ruby shrugged, a little embarrassed. "I'm not sure I'm all that cut out to be a leader, really. I mean, I'm only fifteen."

Jaune scoffed at that. "Yeah, but you're in Beacon with the rest of us. Age doesn't matter here. Everyone's earned a place in the Academy." He thought back to the words of advice that Ruby's sister that given him. "And I'm sure Ozpin made you the team leader for a reason."

Ruby cast a doubtful look at him. "Do you really think so?"

"Yeah. I really do." He had to.

Ruby nodded, turning her attention back to the flowerbed. "Thanks, Jaune."

The boy grunted, shifting a little at the thanks. "It's nothing. I mean, you guys said that you're doing fine now, right?" Ruby nodded. "Then it's not like I really helped much."

"It's still help." Ruby said, "And help's always a good thing."

Jaune... disagreed, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. There wasn't any reason to get into an argument for no reason.

The girl exhaled slowly, standing up and looking straight at Jaune. "What you did to Cardin was dangerous." She said evenly. "Seeing something like that happen... was frightening."

"What did you expect me to do?" Jaune asked, his tone even as he was genuinely curious.

"I didn't expect you to choke him out!" Ruby cried out, wringing her hands. "I just—I've never seen someone fight like that before! It felt like... like you were..."

"Fighting for my life?" Jaune offered, watching Ruby stiffen up, before she nodded, tired.

"Yeah." Ruby bit her lip. "You shouldn't have to fight like that."

Jaune tilted his head. "What? Why not?"

She furrowed her brow at that. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said. Why not?" Jaune frowned. "Why fight if there's not something on the line? I just, I—Ugh." Jaune slammed his hand on the railing. "I've been watching everyone fight for the last week, and I've never felt so angry before. You guys are treating this like a game."

Ruby blinked at that. "We're not—"

"You are!" Jaune said, cutting her off. "You guys do all of this fancy schmancy stuff and try to show off, when in reality, the Grimm don't care, the people that are trying to kill you don't care!" Jaune thought back to the fights that he's been through. Raven. Adam. Atlas Soldiers, White Fang.

They all played for keeps.

"I'm fighting like my life depends on it because it does, Ruby." Jaune said, shaking his head. "You guys can keep fooling around if you want to, but you guys need to realize that one day you guys are going to be fighting for your lives." Jaune cast a level look at the her. "Surely you can understand that?"

Ruby swallowed, turning away from Jaune.

There wasn't an answer, and Jaune wasn't sure if she was going to answer or not. He wasn't sure he really cared.

Turning to look at the skyline, he took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He hadn't realized how frustrated he was with being in Beacon at the moment. No one took things seriously. Did no one have any experience with the real world? Even Professor Goodwitch acting surprised about Jaune's way of fighting.

Was Raven right all along?

He shook his head, getting the thought out of his head.

"I can understand your point of view," Ruby spoke, her voice wavering a little as she turned around. "But you're not in danger anymore. Beacon's _safe_ , Jaune. Everyone knows the stakes around here, we just... We've got four years to go through and get better Jaune." Ruby looked at Jaune. "Living isn't always about life or death."

Jaune crossed his arms. "That's all it is." He said stubbornly.

Ruby drew a pained look, standing up.

"Maybe one day I can change your mind," Ruby whispered. "I don't want you to think like that, Jaune. Life's more than that."

Jaune didn't say anything.

Ruby plucked a flower from its stem, pinching it delicately and holding it out to Jaune. The flower waved in the sunlight, the blue, almost violet color glowing in the sunlight.

"Think about it, Jaune."

Ruby left him, door closing gently behind her as he stared at the flower. He lifted it up, smelling it. It... smelled overwhelming like nothing, really. Maybe he just didn't have a great sense of smell. Still, looking at the flower, Jaune couldn't help but admit it was a nice thought from Ruby.

Ruby was different, it seemed.

Even his teammates seemed to drop their concern within a few days, after he had explained his past to them. They nodded and left him alone, knowing that after all that Raven had put him through, he couldn't be changed.

Jaune's gaze swept towards the door again.

Pocketing the flower, Jaune murmured to himself.

"Prove me wrong, Ruby."

He really hoped that she could change him.

The door squeaked open again, Jaune's head shooting up, hoping that Ruby had decided to come back.

Instead, he found Cardin and his crew, all of them wearing grins that Jaune could only peg as stupid and smug.

"Well, well, well. Finally found you. Guess we should've guessed that you would be where all the flowers were," Cardin said, his voice dripping in contempt as he said the word flowers. Jaune sighed, berating himself for not being more vigilant.

"What do you want, Cardin?"

Cardin ignored him, tramping over some flowers as he walked towards Jaune. The other three spread out, walking to try and surround Jaune.

"You've got a lot of nerve, cheating to win against me, Jaune." Cardin growled out, fists clenched tightly. "I should've won that fight, and you know it."

Jaune crossed his arms, chin jutting out.

"But you didn't."

Cardin growled even louder, taking another aggressive step forward, before freezing as a knife placed itself against his jugular, side of the blade resting softly against his skin.

"You think this scares me?" Cardin said, smirking cockily. "I've got Aura, you idiot." He nodded at the other three, who started to close in on Jaune.

"You do realize that you had Aura the last time too, right?" Jaune asked, almost bored. Cardin's expression darkened, teeth bared.

"Yeah, but a knife's a knife." Cardin looked like a starved wolf, hungry, dangerous. Jaune was almost impressed. "Aura'll protect me from you trying to slit my throat, and I don't think you'll have time to choke me out with my teammates coming at you," He said, gesturing to the other three, who had all drawn their weapons.

Jaune stared into Cardin's eyes, still not amused, almost bored.

"Am I wrong?" Cardin challenged, almost goading.

The shorter boy sighed, shrugging a little and pulling the knife away from Cardin's throat. "You're right. I guess I'll just have to—" Cardin screamed as Jaune jabbed something into his stomach, the sound of rapid clicking filling the air, making the other three jump in surprise. "Try something else then," Jaune whispered, pulling the taser away turning and tackling the closest person before they could even comprehend what was going on.

The blue haired boy yelped, moving to try and get Jaune off of him, which Jaune helped with by rolling back onto his feet, but not before wrapping his leather bracelet around the boy's neck, jerking the boy to keep him off his feet as Jaune threw a knife towards a boy with a mohawk, the knife shattering into small particles the moment it hit the boy's weapon, glitter threatening to blind the boy.

The last of Cardin's teammates reached Jaune unharmed, but didn't last long as Jaune ducked his sword, dragging the other teammate in between them, causing him to stumble a little, Jaune spinning around to deliver a punishing kick to his unprotected stomach, knocking him back a couple paces.

Cardin finally staggered up as Jaune placed a foot down on the blue haired boy's head, grinding it down and preventing him from getting back up onto his feet.

"It's cheating if I win a fight against you one on one, but it's fair now because you've got backup. Yeah," Jaune drawled out, "This makes a lot of sense."

"You fuck!" Cardin roared, charging in, mace swinging. Apparently, Team CRDL actually did seem to have some form of cohesion, as the unharmed boy charged at the same time, brandishing his sword once more. Jaune waited for a second until they were both close, stepping into Cardin's swing, knives flashing in his face and forcing him to back up. Jaune placed a boot on his leg, propelling himself up and around the boy, looping the other end of his bracelet around Cardin's neck, pulling him into the pile with the other boy, letting go and stepping away. He dodged mohawk boy's daggers, pulling out a small bottle of civilian mace and spraying it into the boy's eyes, causing another blood curdling scream.

Big sword boy stood there, wide eyed as he faced Jaune alone. Jaune didn't bother hiding the vicious smile on his face.

This was what he thrived in.

Not stupid practice spars where there was flat ground and an empty arena.

Chaos, controlled and beautiful.

Jaune loved it.

The garden doors slammed open.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!"

Jaune knew that voice anywhere. Professor Goodwitch stomping out, eyes burning.

There was no escape. Saphron was going to kill him. His team was going to kill him.

Jaune vaulted over the railing, dropping down two stories to try and make his escape. It would be a more preferable option than death.

He would've gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for the fact that Professor Goodwitch had an absolutely unfair Semblance.

He didn't even make all the way to the ground, slowing down to a halt before falling in the opposite direction, finding himself looking eye to eye with an irate Goodwitch, who had Team CRDL floating in the air as well.

Jaune said the only thing he could think of.

"They started it."

* * *

"He said what?" Saphron asked, covering her mouth to hide the giggle that tried to escape her. Glynda didn't seem to appreciate it, shooting her a tired glare as she shook her head, letting out a sigh.

"Your brother can be quite stubborn," She said, instead of answering the question. "He said nothing besides 'They started it' and was quite happy to receive his detention and leave the office."

"Wow, only one detention?"

Professor Goodwitch raised an eyebrow. "One detention with me should be enough. Unless you think otherwise?"

Saphron turned away, making sure that the other woman couldn't see her shiver. "No, I think that should be enough." She said, getting a satisfied sound from Glynda.

The two of them resumed marking papers, Saphron flipping through the answer sheet that was given to her and twirling a red pen.

"What about the other boys? The team that was bullying Jaune?" Saphron asked carefully, making sure her voice was even.

Professor Goodwitch paused her grading, looking at her coworker. "I wouldn't quite say that they were bullying him, if you watched their fight. Trying to bully him, sure." Saphron rolled her eyes, pursing her lips.

"So they're not getting any punishments, then?"

Glynda shook her head. "Oh no, on the contrary. We don't condone students fighting, period. And because they were the ones that started it, they've received several detentions from me, along with further disciplinary action."

Saphron relaxed a little, loosening the grip on her pen. "Good." She muttered. The other woman hummed in agreement.

Turning her attention back to the grading, Saphron got through three more papers before Glynda spoke up again.

"Your brother is quite a good fighter, though," She said, a little slowly, reluctantly. "Quick, decisive. Intent on bringing down an enemy with any means possible." Saphron peered over at the other woman, her expression conflicted.

"You can thank Raven for that. She didn't really give him much of a choice." Saphron commented, tapping the pen against her lips. "It's kind of surprising to hear that from you, though. From what Jaune told me, I thought that you hated the way he fought."

Professor Goodwitch let out a little huff, shaking her head. "I often forget how close the two of you are." There was a pause. "I hope the secrets that Ozpin has burdened you with has not strained your relationship."

Saphron snorted softly. A handful more secrets weren't going to matter with how many secrets she was already keeping from him.

No matter how serious the secrets were.

"I do not hate how your brother fights. In fact, I was impressed, after I had time to process it." Glynda murmured, catching Saphron's attention. "It was just a shock to see someone so young fight so hard."

"Isn't that how it's supposed to work?"

"Yes," The teacher said, her voice pained. Saphron didn't think the other woman could've gotten any quieter. "But that doesn't mean they should be exposed to it so soon." Glynda looked at her. "They're just children."

Saphron thought about Jaune, and everything that Raven had put him through.

"Children have to grow up sooner or later." Saphron said sadly. The professor's lips drew a thin line at that.

"Perhaps. But that doesn't mean I have to force them to grow up." Glynda readjusted her glasses. "They have four years to grow up slowly. They don't need to do it all at once."

"And if something happens and they _have_ to grow up?" Saphron asked.

There was a pause before Glynda answered. "Then I will do everything in my power to keep them safe."

Saphron inhaled a sharp breath, putting down her pen. The professor turned to look at her, eyes unfathomable.

"Will you do the same, Saphron?"

* * *

"How are things going in Vale?"

Raven's voice crackled through Vernal's scroll, the woman's expression bored as she rested her head against her hand. Vernal shrugged.

"About as good as it can really get." Vernal replied, "Roman's an excessive mess, but he knows what he's doing."

"And the one he serves?"

Vernal scowled. "No clue. It seems that whoever it is wants to play this close to their chest. Apparently, I'm not to be readily trusted," Vernal dropped her voice mockingly, imitating Roman.

"I see. Continue to work with them then. Roman will give something away eventually, and you need to stay vigilant." Raven said, getting a grunt from Vernal. "What about Beacon?"

"Almost impossible to get in," Vernal said instantly, sighing at that. "The place is surprisingly secure. Although I'm sure a Semblance could get past the defenses."

"As I've said before, Ozpin will be expecting that." Raven waved a hand. "Continue to monitor the school. As old as it is, surely there's a hidden passage or two that can still be used to get in."

Vernal didn't have the patience to argue that any passage would probably be just as well defended, instead offering something else. "Well actually, the first years are planning to leave for Forever Fall in a week." Raven hummed, eyes faraway as she thought about that.

"Good. Perhaps that can be something for you to try out, instead of sitting on your hands. Do you think you can actually do what's needed?"

Vernal tried her best not to look like she was seething, nodding silently, knowing that neither of them would enjoy any conversation that would escape her mouth.

"Very well then. Work on it. Let's hope things don't go as horribly as they usually do with you at the helm."

Pursing her lips, she gave another tense nod before Raven hung up, leaving Vernal to stare at the scroll.

Taking in a deep breath, Vernal pulled her arm back and chucked the scroll across the room, hearing it crack loudly as it impacted a wall.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: And another chapter! I can't believe I'm only one chapter away from having 30 chapters. This story is definitely unfolding out to be larger than I thought it would be. Cool. I think. Let me know what you guys think.**

* * *

Saphron wiped the sweat from her forehead, struggling to get her breathing under control as she laid on the ground, too tired to move. A shadowy figure stepped in front of her, hand outstretched as her vision cleared, revealing the girl that she had been fighting with for the past hour. Groaning pitifully, Saphron shook her head to the best of her ability.

"No more," She moaned, not accepting the hand. "Mercy."

Pyrrha laughed, leaning a little further to wrap her arms around the older woman, sitting her up, to Saphron's ineffectual protests.

"You've gotten a lot better." Pyrrha complimented, standing up to fetch two water bottles for them.

"Well, seeing as how I could barely fight back when we first met, I would hope that I've gotten a lot better," Saphron shot back, smiling a little as she accepted the water, guzzling half of it before pouring the rest down her forehead, uncaring as they were the only two in the sparring area for the night.

Perks of being the Beacon Secretary, she supposed.

"Well, you've gotten very good," Pyrrha countered, her politeness always shining in the forefront.

"Thank you," Saphron blew a little hair away from her temple. "It's nice to fight someone besides Professor Goodwitch."

Pyrrha hummed a little. "It can get a little discouraging if you lose to the same person over and over again," She agreed.

"Yeah," Saphron murmured, thinking about the sheer amount of times Glynda ended up bouncing her around the arena. Pyrrha giggled a little at the face that she made. Finally deciding to face the inevitable, Saphron got onto her feet, groaning mightily as she felt all of her muscles scream in protest.

Fetching their weapons, the two of them headed to the locker rooms, temporarily storing their stuff as they fetched towels and a change of clothes, chatting while they did so.

"I have to say, it was quite a surprise to find you working in Beacon." Pyrrha said, closing her locker door carefully.

"I mean, once you saw my brother, you had to know I was close by, right?"

The redhead shrugged. "Yes, but I would've thought that you would've been enrolled as a student, or found a place to stay in the city."

"I would've thought the same thing," Saphron admitted, laughing a little. "I was really surprised when the Headmaster offered me this job."

"What _are_ the specifics of your job, anyways?" Pyrrha asked, curious.

"Nothing crazy," Saphron lied, having enough practice now to do so seamlessly. "Just a lot of paperwork and running around after the professors, mostly."

"Really? I had heard from Jaune that you were going abroad for a few days after our trip to Forever Fall."

Saphron froze for a second, before closing her locker, throwing her towel onto her shoulder. "Yeah. Just a... liaison with someone that works for Ozpin."

Pyrrha hummed a little, her expression politely curious. Saphron simply shot a smile back at her and headed to the showers. Not waiting for the water to get warm before stepping in, she closed the curtain and letting out an explosive sigh as the water hit her. Usually she waited for the shower to warm up before stepping in, but she was way too overheated to step into that kind of heat. It was another second before the shower next to her started up, Pyrrha stepping into her own shower, barely disguising the moan of relief as she did so. She let a second of silence go between the two of them as they lathered up their hair and enjoyed their respective rituals.

"Jaune is sorry about not contacting you, by the way." Saphron spoke up. "He can be a little scatter brained when it comes to..."

"Human interaction?" Pyrrha's voice floated through, getting a snort of amusement from Saphron.

"He can talk to people when he wants to," Saphron defended, thinking that she should at least try and defend him. "He just... doesn't."

Pyrrha let out a ringing laugh, making Saphron smile. It's a shame that Jaune was so oblivious to someone so wonderful.

"How's he actually fitting into the team anyways?" Saphron asked over the sound of the shower, rubbing herself down as she did so.

"There's still some rough spots," Pyrrha said slowly, getting a smirk from the blonde. From what Jaune had said, it was more than some. "But I think we're slowly ironing it all out. I'm still not exactly sure why Blake, our black-haired teammate, doesn't like to stay in the same room as him."

"Beats me," Saphron said, "It could be a million reasons. Jaune has the tendency to do and say the wrong things at the wrong times. It's a quirk."

That got another laugh from Pyrrha as Saphron heard the water shut off, a rustling coming from the other side as the younger woman grabbed a towel. Saphron decided that she should probably cut her shower a little shorter than usual, so as to not keep the other girl waiting.

Shutting off the shower brought small shivers throughout her body as she found herself unaccustomed to the cold. Quick to wrap herself in the shower, Saphron stepped out, toweling up her hair as she did so and finding Pyrrha doing her best to brush down her hair, having changed already.

"Jaune is... unique," Pyrrha agreed, "But he's trying, and I suppose that's what matters right now."

"You guys are young," Saphron said, waving a hand dismissively. "Figure everything out at your own pace. You guys have the time for it."

The other girl nodded slowly, turning her back as she sat down.

"You have such a different perspective compared to Jaune's." Pyrrha noted. "It's quite surprising."

"Do we now?" Saphron asked. Pyrrha wasn't wrong, of course. Even though they had been together for so long now, the two siblings had suffered through different experiences. Sure, they had each other to pull them through, but their troubles were still their own.

It was still sad to think that Jaune had come out the more jaded one though.

"Yes." Pyrrha turned to look at her. "Jaune always seems to carry his experiences openly. There's pain, but you know there's pain." Saphron raised an eyebrow at the redhead, who faltered for a second.

"And then there's me," Saphron supplied. "Who's the opposite." Hidden. Secretive. Fake. "Am I getting that right?" Pyrrha winced a little.

"Well."

Saphron cut her off with a sigh, shaking her head. "No, it's quite alright. I understand." Sliding into her clothes, she continued talking. "I guess we're just different people."

Pyrrha flushed a little as she watched Saphron change, turning to face the wall quickly. Saphron thought mischievously to herself, thinking of a way that she could mess with Pyrrha and also get her to stop going down this line of questioning.

"Pyrrha," Saphron's voice dropped playfully. "You know, you've seen to have grown a little in the few months that we haven't seen each other."

While Pyrrha's face was still turned away from her, Saphron could tell that the girl was blushing when the back of her neck turned bright red.

"W-what're you talking about?" Pyrrha squeaked out. Saphron took a few steps to get closer, making a sound in the back of her throat as she pretended to think.

"Oh, I'm not sure. Maybe it's my imagination..." Saphron stooped low, quickly, catching the redhead off guard as she reached out front. "Oh. Maybe not."

Pyrrha yelped loudly, almost hitting the ceiling.

The plan had been perfect.

* * *

"I know you wanted to spar with Pyrrha and all, but maybe next time, learn to stop before you pass out?" Jaune scolded his older sister, crossing his arms as she laughed sheepishly. "Maybe learn to protect your face so that she can't reach it next time?"

"It's fine," Saphron said, turning so that Jaune couldn't inspect the bright red hand mark on her face any closer. "It's my fault, I'll do my best not to jump the gun next time."

Jaune's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but in the end he sighed, giving in. He turned to look at Pyrrha, who still looked mortified for having knocked Saphron out.

"You don't have to look so bad, Pyrrha, she deserved it," Jaune said, waving a hand. "Hopefully, she'll learn her lesson."

The redhead managed to push the mortification and glare at Saphron, although her face was still plenty red. "Yes. Hopefully that'll be the case."

Saphron just smiled wide enough to hide her eyes.

He saw something communicated between the two of them, but to his frustration, it was nothing that he could pick up. More secrets hidden from him.

It wasn't like he wasn't used to people hiding things from him. He just never thought that Saphron would be one of them.

Almost flying to his feet, Jaune looked at the other two, who watched him, surprise and apprehension clear on their face. "Well. If everyone seems to be okay, I think Pyrrha and I should head on back to our dorms. We've got a field trip to go on tomorrow, after all."

"Oh. Yes. Of course," Saphron said, her expression mixed. "Well. I do have a bit of paperwork to go through before my own trip." Jaune waited as she bit her lip. "Maybe we can chat a little once you come back tomorrow? Before I leave?"

Jaune wanted to say no. Not because he didn't want to, but because he knew exactly how it would play out.

They would complain about things that neither would be able to help with. Jaune would ask questions that Saphron would refuse to answer, and she would change the subject to something Jaune wouldn't talk about. Then they would go back and forth until there was just a stony silence, the two of them wasting a whole night doing nothing, accomplishing nothing.

"Yeah," Jaune said, smile feeling a little plastic. "I'll stop by."

Saphron paused, eyes tinged with hurt. "Great."

Standing around any longer would only flip the awkwardness into a more negative anger, and Jaune didn't need that right now. He turned without saying goodbye to his sister, walking quickly out of the room.

He could hear the soft padding of shoes following him a second later, Pyrrha catching up and walking side by side with him. Jaune didn't bother saying anything, or even looking at her. She had done nothing wrong.

"Are you ready for tomorrow's field trip?" Pyrrha asked, the question a little stilted. Still, it was a safe topic to talk about, and Jaune was eager to engage with any subject that didn't involve him and his sister.

"Yeah. I heard that Forever Fall's gorgeous. I'm excited to see the view." Maybe this would get rid of his aversion to forests. It would be pretty nice if he wasn't attacked every time he eneded up in a forest of some sorts. Atlas, Mistral, Beacon...

Gods, he hoped so.

"I hear that we're supposed to be collecting sap for that day. I wonder why Beacon would assign us to do so?"

Jaune shrugged. "Maybe there's magical properties in the sap that will help us with the eternal war against the Grimm. Maybe the sap has amazing medical properties that will help boost our Aura and help us become better Huntsman." Jaune stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Maybe it just makes a really good jam to spread on toast. I don't know. I'm just glad we're having a day off where we don't have to sit in a classroom all day."

"Yes, that can be quite tiresome, especially if you're unused to the environment." Pyrrha agreed, "It will be nice for us to spread our legs a little."

"Yeah. Maybe there'll even be a couple of Grimm that we can kill." Jaune said, perking up a little at the thought. He hadn't killed something in months.

"Perhaps," Pyrrha said, "But seeing as how Beacon prepared this trip quite a bit in advance, surely they've managed the Grimm populations in advance."

Oh. Yeah. That would make sense. Jaune slumped a little, not bothering to hide the pout.

Pyrrha touched his shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. "I'm sure you'll be able to fight soon, Jaune."

"That's easy for you to say," Jaune snorted, shrugging the hand away. "Professor Goodwitch picks you to fight all the time. I haven't gotten picked to fight since the first time with Cardin."

"Maybe because she is worried that you will do harm to any student that she chooses for you to fight?" Pyrrha suggested softly, as if tiptoeing towards the subject.

Jaune scowled at that. "There's always going to be a risk of that happening. A fight inherently has a risk of 'harming the student'." Jaune said, rolling his eyes. "It's stupid to keep me off of the stage because of that."

Pyrrha didn't answer, silent as she followed behind Jaune. He didn't know if he liked that.

He was starting to get a little tired of everyone keeping him at arm's length. Jaune had thought that they had finally accepted him after Yang had helped him organize that sparring session with the rest of the team, but it felt like Pyrrha still kept herself reserved, and while Blake wasn't throwing glares at him every waking moment, they hadn't really exchanged many words either.

Jaune sighed, thinking about the conversation that he had with Ruby last night.

 _"Earning their trust isn't going to be as easy as reading off of a script, Jaune." Ruby said, sipping on her milk with a pinky finger extended. Jaune did the same, except with actual tea, and with the distinct thought of how stupid this all looked. Still, Ruby was a friend. And that was what he had needed right then._

 _"Show them that you want to be their friend, Jaune. You'll get through them eventually."_

Eventually. Jaune pulled the bangs out of his eyes, tugging the back of his hair a little in hopes that he could delay the building headache that was building.

He wasn't patient enough for 'eventually'.

Surely there was a faster way for them to be a better team.

Jaune unlocked Team Juneberry's door, stepping in to the sight of Yang and Blake sitting on the same bed, chatting. Well, that wasn't quite right.

Yang seemed to have cornered Blake onto a bed that she couldn't retreat on, the faunus's eyes narrowed and darting to the left and right as she tried to figure out an avenue of escape. A book laid on the floor, forgotten as the two of them faced off.

Blake zeroed in on Jaune when the door opened. "Jaune! Tell Yang to let me go!"

Jaune frowned at that, a feeling of pettiness rising in him. He never took orders very well.

"It doesn't look like she's holding you down at all, Blake." Jaune said levelly, a smirk playing on his face. The black-haired girl narrowed her eyes, while Yang threw a devilish smile at Jaune.

"Hey, Jaune. Do you mind picking that book up off the floor?" Yang called out. A request instead of an order. Jaune was happy to oblige.

"No! Don't pick it up!" Blake said, something Jaune happily ignored as he bent over, flipping the book around to read the cover.

 _Ninjas of Love._

Huh. That sounded kind of familiar. Jaune flipped the book open to a random page, scanning the first paragraph that he found.

—And Kenichi dove his hands underneath Shinobu's yukata, all the while drawing out his fearsome katana.

"There will be punishment for this transgression," he whispered, teeth almost grazing Shinobu's ear. "I will be your second in this. Kneel." And he twisted the length—.

Jaune blinked at the passage, face flushing red as he found himself stuck on the floor, unable to comprehend what he had just read.

Blake snatched the book out of his hand, somehow managing to escape Yang's loose trap, probably due to the fact that Yang was now on the floor, choking with laughter.

Blake seemed to be faring just as well as Jaune was at having her taste in books discovered, her face bright red as she tried to say something, jaw working uselessly before she marched out the door, slamming it shut.

Pyrrha looked a little helpless, unsure of what exactly had just happened.

Yang finally seemed to be able to catch her breath as she struggled to sit up, arms on the bed as she gasped for breath.

"Hey-, hey, was that a thing, or what?" Yang cackled, before falling back onto the floor. Jaune finally regained enough of his cognition to move, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as he exhaled slowly.

This team was doomed.

* * *

The start of the day was a little rocky, with Jaune having to shake Yang awake, the team almost being late as she insisted on going through her full morning ritual. They sprinted towards the Bullheads, finding themselves on the end of one of Professor Goodwitch's trademarked glares, waiting for them to arrive.

Luckily, it didn't seem like she was in too much of a sour mood, with her handing out no detentions, simply snapping at them to hurry into the Bullheads, as everyone was waiting for them.

The flight wasn't a long one, especially for Jaune, who spent most of the time focusing on his Aura and breathing, making sure that he didn't hurl and paint the insides of the Bullhead green. Ruby, being the amazing friend that she was, murmured softly to him and continued to rub his back the whole time, after he explained to her his situation in as few words as possible.

Still, the heavy jolt of the Bullhead landing was almost enough to beat him, Jaune having to squeeze even tighter to keep everything under control. Letting out a heavy exhale, he reigned the feeling in and finally left his seat, the last one out of the airship and the last one to experience the beauty of Forever Fall.

It was beautiful, to say the least. The trees looked like they were in perpetual fall, varying shades of red and orange that almost resembled flickering flames as the wind brushed through them. The ground was brushed with the fallen leaves as well, leaving a soft carpet that crunched every time Jaune stepped through. It was beautiful, but made Jaune wince every time he walked. He ended up finally catching up and hearing the last bit of whatever Professor Goodwitch was saying.

"—We will rendezvous at four o'clock. Any questions?" There was a brief silence. "Good. Have fun."

Everyone spread out into a loose circle, Team Juneberry and Team Rowan walking together as the two sisters started chatting. Weiss and managed to wrangle Pyrrha's attention, getting a polite front from her as the white-haired girl continued to talk.

Jaune found this as a good opportunity for some peace and quiet, and after assuring a concerned Ruby that he was going to be alright, he grabbed a tap and a jar, finding a secluded spot.

It wasn't that he didn't like any of them, Jaune just liked to be by himself more. At least he didn't have to answer questions and pretend to have conversations when he was alone. AT the end of the day, talking was never a strong suit for him, always preferring something more physical.

Another thing that Raven ruined about him, he assumed.

Jaune tapped a finger against a tree trunk, listening to the hollow sound of a tree that had either been drained already or had died a couple years back. Humming quietly, Jaune moved onto the next tree, tapping it as well, and finding a tree that at least had something in it, and went to work.

It was nice, doing something physical, learning how to wean sap out of a tree. Most of Jaune's physically learned skills revolved around hurting and fighting, so it was a nice break. Tapping the spigot in with a hammer, Jaune twisted, feeling brief elation as the tree's honey oozed out into the jar.

He could do this all day.

After draining the necessary amount of sap, Jaune lifted the jar into the air, letting the light play through it. It had to be incredibly sweet, judging by the smell just wafting towards him. With a smell like that, the taste must be out of this world.

Well, Professor Goodwitch had already said that it was fine for them to have a taste, so long as they had enough for the assignment.

Placing a finger into the sap, Jaune lifted it up to his nose, getting an even stronger smell of sugar, so powerful that his mouth started to salivate on its own.

 _Crunch._

Jaune froze, a finger close to his lips as he heard someone approaching him. Close enough for him to hear the leaves rustle on the ground, yet they hadn't announced their presence yet.

Cardin.

Well. Maybe he would be able to nip this at the bud before it got any further out of hand. Straightening up, Jaune turned around, speaking. "I know you're there, Cardin. Why don't you just come out and—"

Something shattered against his chest, sap exploding and coating the shirt that he was wearing. Jaune couldn't help but let out a gasp of surprise, taking a step back as Cardin emerged, a nasty grin on his face as he opened up a box, a swarm of rapier wasps emerged, the buzzing of their wings sending a lance of fear down Jaune's spine.

The time for thinking was over, Jaune knowing that Cardin wouldn't have let those things loose if they weren't going to attack him. There were too many for Jaune to fight, at least in the span of seconds that he had, so there was really only one option for him to take.

Run.

But before he did, Jaune decided to chuck his own jar towards the boy, leaving streaks of sap on his chest as well. Jaune sprinted away from the clearing, hearing Cardin's panicked yelling behind him, as well as the haunting sound of buzzing that seemed to sound closer and closer by the second.

Running granted him a couple seconds to think of a plan, something that he could use to stop the oncoming horde of wasps, or at least turn them away for a few moments.

Digging through his pockets, he found a bottle of fire dust, biting his lip as he inspected it. It probably wasn't a good idea to use this, seeing as how it would easily catch on the dry leaves and foliage that was around him. But if he didn't...

Jaune cursed, winding his arm back and tossing the vial onto the ground, the glass shattering and the dust producing flames that instantly started to spread, eating at the leaves and greenery with a voracious speed.

He needed to find Professor Goodwitch to contain this, or it would spread out of control. Unfortunately, that would be in the towards the direction of the wildfire. Maybe he could skirt around the perimeter quickly enough.

A scream pierced through the air, followed by a louder, deeper roar of an accompanying Grimm. It echoed through the flames, and Jaune's heart sank.

The only people that would be there was Cardin, and the rest of his team.

Fingers wrapped around his heart, and the blond grit his teeth, diving through the flames, Aura sparking in protest as he did so. It was only a few seconds, but the flames were hot, and even the small amount of time Jaune spent in the fire was enough to drain his Aura considerably. It didn't help that the fires were being coaxed on by the Dust that he threw.

Emerging from the fires, Jaune found himself back in the clearing, where he spotted two hulking Ursa, one of them focused on Cardin, who lay on the ground, shirt torn, blood oozing out of shallow cuts along the chest. The other team members were nowhere to be seen.

Jaune was quick to dispatch the one closest to him, two knives flung into the open maw as it roared, choking it long enough for Jaune to draw out a longer, thicker blade made for piercing through tough hide, jamming it through the Ursa heart.

Turning to look at the other Ursa, Jaune found Cardin knocked aside as he tried to stand up, the Ursa focusing on the injured boy, turning its back towards Jaune. His fingers pulled out another knife, lifting it into the air.

And then he paused.

Cardin had been a thorn in his side ever since the first day of class. Every day was an adventure in trying to avoid him and his team, and while Jaune could take them, they were starting to become a thorn in his side.

Raven whispered into his ear.

"Wait. Let the Grimm take care of your problem for you first." A hand touched his raised fist, beckoning it to be lowered, just for a moment. "No one would ever know."

And she was right.

Jaune lowered his hand.

And heard a double crack of two gunshots, bullets burrowing themselves in the Ursa's hide, not enough to do anything but sting it. Still, it drew the Grimm's attention away from the downed boy, and towards Pyrrha, who emerged from the tree line calmly, shifting Milo into javelin form as she faced down the Ursa.

The Grimm roared, charging at the girl, murder gleaming in its eyes.

It fell only a bare second later, Pyrrha stepping past its arms and impaling it through its chest, stopping the charge in its tracks.

He watched the Grimm fall in silence. He watched Pyrrha retrieve her weapon and walk up towards him. He watched Pyrrha's expression change from calm to angry, then to a shade of disappointment. He listened to her words.

"You were going to let him die." She said softly.

Jaune didn't answer.

That was enough of an answer for Pyrrha. Suddenly, her anger was visible once more.

"We're meant to be protecting people who can't protect themselves, Jaune." She hissed, making the blond step back. He had never heard this tone of voice in Pyrrha before. Not even when they had met again in Beacon. She looked at the unconscious Cardin. "Even if they're not the nicest people."

Still Jaune had nothing to say, and Pyrrha's expression turned into realization, then suddenly dropped, the redhead taking a step back herself.

A rustle brought Jaune's guard to the forefront again before Weiss emerged, her weapon gripped loosely in her hand.

"I was able to take care of most of the fire before Professor Goodwitch caught up to me," She said, head swiveling as she took in the scene in front of her. "Is everyone alright?"

Pyrrha nodded, pursing her lips as she brushed past Jaune and Weiss, walking back towards where the Bullhead had been parked.

Weiss raised an eyebrow, looking at the blond. "What was that all about?"

Jaune sighed, shaking his head at the question.

He had no words.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: This chapter's a little short, but there's a lot of things happening in this chapter, so... I'll call it a win. Tell me what you guys think.**

* * *

Jaune should really find a new place to mope. No, wait, he wasn't moping. Jaune was _pensive_.

The door to the Beacon rooftops opened quietly, Jaune letting out a sigh as Saphron spoke up.

"I thought we were going to chat tonight?" She asked quietly, hanging by the doorway. Jaune glanced at his sister for a second before turning his attention back towards the night sky. Saphron walked over to the railing that Jaune was sitting on, placing a ginger hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" Saphron asked.

He turned to look at his sister, staring at her for a second.

"How long is it going to be before we have to run away again?" Jaune asked her.

Jaune waited for her to answer, just watching Saphron's expression morph from confusion into shock.

"W-what?" Saphron whispered, eyes wide. Jaune turned away from her again, shrugging.

"When do you think we'll have to leave?" Jaune rephrased the question, as if that would clear things up for her.

Saphron shook her head, worry written on her face. "What happened today?" Jaune tried to school his expression into a flat face when she asked the question, but he could tell that Saphron didn't buy it when he gave her his best nonchalant shrug.

"Nothing really. Went to Forever Falls. Beautiful, by the way." Jaune said, getting an encouraging hum from Saphron. "I went to get some sap for the professor, and I got ambushed by Cardin." He paused as Saphron inhaled sharply, her expression getting sharper. "Yeah. Got me with a hit of sap, then let loose some rapier wasps."

"What?!" Saphron checked him, trying to find any stings. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Jaune waved her away, scooting a little further along the railing. "I got them away before they could really do anything. Besides, I still had plenty of Aura."

"Oh." She said, slowly calming down. "Okay." She frowned. "So you want to leave because Cardin's been bullying you? You know, if you just went to a teacher or just let me talk to Glynda—"

"Okay, first off, I don't want to leave," Jaune cut her off, rolling his eyes. "And if I did, it wouldn't be because of Cardin and his lackeys. They're annoying, but they're not going to chase me away or anything."

"Then why?"

"Because," Jaune clenched his teeth, closing his eyes. "Because a pair of Ursa attacked us out of nowhere. I got the one that was about to attack me, but when I saw that the other one was about to kill Cardin..."

Saphron fell silent, eyes watching Jaune steadily.

Jaune sighed, pushing his hair away from his forehead. "I was raised to be a killer, Saph. Say what you want about Raven, she knows how to nail in a lesson." He shook his head. "Sometimes, I hear her in my head. Telling me things. Sometimes I do things before I realize I've even thought about them." He rubbed the heels of his palms into his eyes. "I'm not stupid, sis. I see how everyone looks at me. I mean, yeah, my team tries to understand me, but every time it looks like they're about to breakthrough, I do something that's not 'normal'."

"Jaune.." Saphron whispered, heart crying out to him.

"And then the one person I thought I could trust seems to be keeping secrets from me." Jaune muttered, tired eyes gazing at Saphron, who winced at his words. It was hard not to notice the dark rings around Jaune's eyes when he said that.

"I-I'm sorry," She said, getting a frustrated grunt from her brother.

"Apologize by telling me what's going on. What's happening, Saph? Why is Ozpin having you run around everywhere? Why do you always seem to turn off of your scroll when I enter the room? What are you hiding from me?" Jaune's voice turned to pleading, his eyes wide, angry. "Why are you hiding things from me?"

"It's for your safety!" Saphron shouted back, turning to anger to support her defense. Jaune drew back, anger coiling behind his eyes. His fingers twitched, and for a second, Saphron thought that Jaune would attack her on the spot.

It took another minute, but the anger drained out of his eyes, leaving behind a void.

"That's funny." Jaune said, his voice low, emotionless. "I could have sworn that I was _never_ the one that needed to be protected."

The words were sharp enough that they sucked the air out of Saphron's lungs, leaving her frozen, shocked as Jaune walked away, the door shutting quietly behind him with a soft click.

Ignoring his sister when she called his name, Jaune continued downstairs, heading back towards his dorm room. Where he would be greeted with silent stares and quiet judgment.

His hand hovered over the doorknob.

"I don't want to do this." Jaune whispered to himself.

Cold breezed through him, the ever familiar voice tickling his ears.

 _Then don't._

* * *

"So, you wanna explain to me why you seem to be all down in the dumps, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha turned to look at Yang, who stood beside her with her arms crossed, an eyebrow cocked. The redhead frowned. "What do you mean?" She asked politely, schooling her expression. She hadn't realized that she had been obvious enough for Yang to pick up her mood. For someone who had spent years practicing the perfect television personality, that was quite the slip.

"Oh come on," Yang scoffed, rolling her eyes. "That might work on the ice queen, but I sleep with you. Do you really think that's going to fly around anyone on this team? Right, Blake?" The black-haired girl chose to ignore her, flipping to another page of her book. "Blake agrees with me." Yang said, turning her attention back on Pyrrha.

"But Blake didn't say anything." The other girl protested, getting a hand wave from the blonde.

"That's just Blake's way of agreeing with you." Yang pointed a finger at Pyrrha, the redhead having to go cross eyed to keep the finger within her sight. "Now stop distracting me. What's going on? Spill."

"It's nothing," Pyrrha said, dropping her smile for a frown. "Just... trying to focus on schoolwork, is all."

Yang stared at the other girl in disbelief. "Did you actually just—Seriously?" She shook her head. "I can't believe you just tried to pass that load of bull."

"It's not—not bull!" Pyrrha protested, flushing a little. "I just have a lot of schoolwork to go through, and I'm worried I won't be able to finish it all."

"Pyrrha." Yang stared hard at her. "The only person who's smarter than you in our year is probably Weiss. I finished my work like, twenty minutes ago. So unless you've been getting more homework from the professors, there's no way you could have 'so much'." She said.

"Uh." Pyrrha said, biting her lip. Yang stopped her from talking with a hand on her shoulder, and a genuinely concerned look.

"Seriously, Pyrrha. What's wrong?"

"I just..." The redhead sighed. "I'm just worried. About Jaune."

Yang cast a knowing look at her, making her flush. "N-not like that! Just. He's not the most... socially aware of people." The blonde snorted at that. "Yes, I know it's obvious, but that doesn't mean I can't be worried about him."

"I'm didn't say that," Yang said, waving a hand. "And I agree with you. Jaune seems like an okay guy, but he's always on edge, you know? Like one wrong move will set him off."

"Yes." Pyrrha nodded, "That's exactly it. I know that he's had a troubled past, but him and his sister are so guarded about it, so trying to figure out the exact details is like pulling teeth out of either of them."

"Wait. You don't know _anything_ about his past?" Yang asked, blinking in surprise. Pyrrha nodded, hearing Blake close her book. "Is he really that cagey? I thought you guys hung out a couple months before Beacon?"

"We did," Pyrrha said, frustration leaking through her voice. "And every time I tried to approach the question he would refuse to answer." She looked at Blake, who suddenly glanced to the side. Yang followed her look, eyes narrowing.

"What about you, Blake? Anything you want to tell us? Maybe about why you seem to be so paranoid around him?" The brawler asked. Blake stared her down, expression just as unreadable as always.

"No." She said, opening her book back up. "Nothing comes to mind."

Yang groaned, clenching her teeth hard as she tried not to scream. "Wonderful. I'm glad no one here understands the value of communication." She glared at the both of them, angry. "When are you guys going to realize that we're a team? What's it going to take before you guys try?"

"I am trying!" Pyrrha objected, standing up out of her chair. Blake, however, didn't move, simply narrowing her eyes as she glared at Yang. "Why do you think I'm so worried about Jaune?"

"You're worried about Jaune because your crushing on him." Yang hit back, getting an angry splutter from Pyrrha. "And that's not helping the team, either. And you're just as bad!" She said, turning around to Blake, who straightened out the smirk on her face. "If I didn't know any better, I would say the same thing to you."

"I don't have a crush on Jaune." Blake said evenly.

"Then it makes the way you act even worse." Yang countered. "Do you hate him?"

The black haired girl didn't answer right away. "...No."

"Then stop acting like you do." Yang said, shaking her head. "I don't want one of us to have to get hurt before we decide to try and be better."

The other two couldn't find anything to say to that.

Yang wasn't sure if that just made her sad or angry.

Inhaling slowly, Yang rubbed her temples, trying her best to control her temper—and her semblance. "Where's our team leader, anyways?" She asked grumpily, pulling out her scroll.

The dorm door clicked open, getting a sigh from Yang before she froze, Jaune's sister stepping through. She looked worried.

"Good evening, guys." Saphron said evenly, a thin smile on her face. "You guys haven't seen Jaune, have you?"

They all exchanged looks, a feeling starting to worm its way into their stomachs.

She didn't need an answer after that, worry bleeding out onto her face. "I see. Sorry for interrupting, then."

"Wait." Pyrrha said, hand out. "Why are you asking?"

Saphron chewed on her bottom lip, indecision warring on her face. Finally, she seemed to give in. "We... had a talk a couple of minutes ago. It didn't go so well. He stormed off, and I lost him. I just wanted to make sure he wasn't going to be doing anything rash."

That didn't sound good. "Have you tried calling him?" Yang asked, waving her scroll. Saphron nodded. "A couple of times already. He hasn't answered."

"Well, I'll try calling him," Yang said, opening her scroll. "Maybe he'll answer someone else."

The four of them stood there as the scroll ringed slowly, fifteen, thirty seconds passing before the scroll went to voicemail, Yang hanging up before the tone could get to the beep.

Again, Saphron let out a breath, expression pinched. "Thank you for trying. Now, if you'll excuse me."

She disappeared, letting the door click softly, leaving an awkward and worried room behind her.

"What are the chances Jaune isn't going to be causing any trouble?" Yang asked nervously, getting varying looks from the both of them. "Yeah, I didn't think so." She let out an aggravated sound, rubbing her temples again. "Let me get a jacket."

* * *

Jaune should've grabbed a jacket before he left.

Well, that would mean that he would've had to enter the dorm room, so that was a definite no-go. Oh well. He had to survive worse conditions than a slight chill before, and at least he had his wallet with him. There was probably enough lien to last for a day or two, but then he could start stealing from stores or something.

He needed to get out of Vale, though.

Staying for too long would be too risky, with the chance that Saphron or Ozpin would be able to find him.

Maybe he could go to Vacuo. He didn't know much about it, but on the flip side, there didn't seem to be anything crazy there either. Maybe he could find his way to a city and find some work there.

Maybe he could start his own bandit tribe in Vacuo.

Jaune chuckled under his breath at the image of that.

He shivered a little, his body reminding him of more pressing issues. Shelter and food first, taking over the world second. Spotting a twenty four hour diner, his stomach rumbled, making his decision on where to eat pretty straight forward.

Walking into the diner, he was greeted limply by a waitress, who waved at him to sit wherever he would like and turned back to continue talking with one of the other waitresses. Jaune scoped out a decent seat where he could keep an eye out on the rest of the diner, as well as the entrance of the restaurant.

Sliding into a seat towards the back of the diner, Jaune waited for the waitress to come over and take his order, his eyes scanning his environment, focusing on the people that walked past the many windows of the diner, brushing past the entrance.

Fingers tapped against the chipped wooden table as Jaune tried unsuccessfully to not think about what he was doing. He was running, again. And this time, it was completely his choice. No. Not completely his choice. Everyone around him was pushing him away, so in the end, he just made the best choice.

If they didn't want any part of him, then he would leave.

"Do you know what you're ordering?" A bored voice asked him, snapping him out of his stewing thoughts. He turned to the mousy haired girl, a flat expression on her face.

"Uh, yeah." Jaune said, pointing to some chicken tenders on the menu, as well as a glass of water. He needed to stretch his money out for the next couple of days, so that would have to do for tonight. The girl nodded and left without another word, returning a second later with his glass of water.

Sipping on it tentatively, Jaune's eyes flickered back towards the windows, narrowing as he spotted something out of the ordinary. That couldn't be... Vernal, could it?

No, it was definitely her. Blue eyes, brown hair, an expression that looked like it could stab you. But that's not right. Surely she wouldn't be so brazen as to wander around Vale when the police were looking for her, right?

Jaune thought about that for a second.

Rising from his chair, Jaune left the diner, ignoring the indignant waitress who had just put in his order.

Walking quickly, Jaune tried his best not to lose her, hanging back just enough that he could dive behind cover if she decided to turn around. There weren't enough people for him to blend in, after all, and he didn't have enough time to climb to the rooftops and follow her that way.

He didn't really need to be so cautious though, Vernal not bothering to check her surroundings once. The way she strode made it obvious that she didn't care if anyone followed her, and that she could handle anything that tried to come her way.

Jaune touched his belt, contemplating for a second on just attacking her in the middle of the street. No, that wouldn't be a good idea. It would attract too much attention, which was something that he was trying to avoid in the first place. In fact...

He stopped moving for a second, lips pursed. Why was he following Vernal in the first place? What was he going to do, try and arrest her? He was trying to get out of Vale, so what was he doing playing vigilante? Letting out a sigh, Jaune watched Vernal round another corner, disappearing from his sight.

"What am I doing?" Jaune whispered to himself. Maybe he should just go back to the diner and actually eat something before—

A sharp pain blossomed at the base of his head.

Then, nothing.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: More stuff, more stuff!**

* * *

Jaune could hear the sound of humming. Soft and quiet, it was almost as soothing as the fingers that were gliding through his hair. It took another few bars before he realized what the song was.

"Are you humming the ad tune for Pumpkin Pete's?" Jaune asked, incredulous as he opened his eyes up to look at his grinning sister. His throat felt a little scratchy, probably because he hadn't been speaking for several hours.

"I am," Saphron said slowly, continuing to play with his hair. "You don't like it?"

"I do." Jaune said slowly, eyes slowly drifting shut again at the feeling of her fingers. "I just would've thought you would hum something, I don't know, older. Or like a classical tune, or something."

Saphron snorted in amusement, Jaune able to hear her shake her head. "Well, I would, if I knew any of them. Mom never really had time to teach me any before... you know."

Again, Jaune opened his eyes, watching his sister's attention slip back to the past. He did the same, from time to time, although he only had ten years to shuffle through compared to Saphron's, who almost doubled his. If he had to be honest with himself, there weren't many memories that he could recall on the spot. He remembered a handful at a time, but compared to the onslaught of experiences that Raven was putting them through, they always seemed to pale in comparison.

Jaune raised one of his hands, his muscles screaming in protest as he did so, and he touched Saphron's throat, touching that scar that nearly killed her a couple months ago.

Her hand stopped his from exploring for too long, her attention directed back at him. Saphron never liked it when he touched the scar. It reminded them of too much, too soon.

"It's looking a little better." Jaune commented, clearing his throat a little.

"I would hope so. It would be a shame if it got infected and I died," Saphron said dryly.

Jaune sighed, rolling his eyes. "Sorry for trying to say something positive, then." He let out a yelp as she flicked him in between the eyes.

"That's right. Remember that before you decide to say anything nice again." Saphron laughed as Jaune grumbled, pretending to try and roll off of her lap. "How're you feeling?" She asked after he settled back down.

The question seemed to remind him of exactly how much pain he was in. It felt like parts of his body were on fire, probably because Raven had introduced him to escape situations that involved smoke and fire. Not to mention the numerous bruises when Raven decided to make it more interesting and pop in and out of existence to attack him while the smoke was choking his eyes.

Sigh. Good times.

"I can't believe I've only got twenty four hours to recover before she does this to me again." Jaune said, covering his eyes with an arm. Saphron winced, patting him gingerly on a shoulder.

"Well, technically, it could be less than twenty four hours." Saphron said, getting a glare from her younger brother. "Or it could be longer?" She offered, getting a tired groan from the boy.

"This is hell." He muttered. "I hate this so much." Gritting his teeth, Jaune tried his best to calm the feeling that was rising in his throat. He couldn't cry right now. Crying was a sign of weakness, and if Raven saw it, she would only work him harder tomorrow.

Jaune felt Saphron's arms wrap around his body, pulling him close. He didn't hesitate, returning the hug tightly, burying his face into her shirt.

"It's alright, Jaune." Saphron whispered softly. Jaune nodded, his eyes shut tightly. It was getting harder and harder for him not to cry with his sister so gentle. The only safe place in this camp of horrors.

"It's going to be alright, Jaune," Saphron repeated, still soft. "We'll make it through this." Her voice was insistent. "We'll get out of this hellhole, and then we'll live our lives. We'll be happy. I promise."

"I promise."

* * *

It didn't take long for Jaune to realize that he wasn't able to move. Waking up with a start, Jaune found himself blindfolded, his mouth gagged, and the feeling of tape looped around his limbs, keeping them together, and preventing Jaune from gaining much movement.

Calming himself down, he strained to listen, the only sense that was going to be helpful in this situation. For a moment, there wasn't much sound except his rapidly beating heart, bumping loudly in his ears. After getting his heart rate back down to a more manageable pace, he was able to hear shuffling, as if someone or something was moving around him, quietly.

Not wanting to reveal anything, Jaune lay still, mind furiously working on a way to get out of his bindings. Raven had shown him a couple ways to slip out of handcuffs and rope, but the tape seemed shockingly sturdy, barely stretching when he flexed, seeing if the bindings were tight enough that he could loosen them up that way.

Unfortunately, it seemed like whoever had trussed him up knew what they were doing.

He decided to try rolling, to see if there was any freedom of movement there. For a second, his heart leapt as he was able to start rolling, before something, a boot it felt like, landed on him, preventing him from rolling any further.

So there was someone in the room with him. That was good news, right?

If there was someone in the room with him and he wasn't dead yet, then maybe they weren't planning on killing him. It wasn't the most positive outlook, but it meant time, and time was something he desperately needed.

Something squeaked behind him, making him tense up.

"Huh. Kid's awake?"

That was Vernal's voice. There had been someone else tailing her to keep her safe. That's why she was just waltzing through the streets without a care in the world. Damn it, he was getting sloppy.

He felt a tug as his blindfold was lifted off of him, revealing a grinning Vernal, and a multicolored girl who was staring intently at him.

"You're getting sloppy, Jaune." Vernal said, repeating his internal conflict. "You know, Raven would've beaten the shit out of you for being so obvious about tailing me."

Jaune decided to roll his eyes, that being pretty much the only thing that he could really do at the moment. Vernal didn't seem to like that, tearing off the tape that was covering his mouth.

Eyes watering, Jaune glared at her. "Fuck you," He spat, getting a laugh from Vernal, as well as a merry grin from the other girl.

"Well, I'm glad you still seem so full of energy." Vernal tossed the length of tape somewhere on the ground, crouching down next to him. "You didn't seem very active and alert when we were lugging you here, though."

He didn't say anything, content to continue glaring at the woman.

"Such a tough guy," Vernal drawled, "Gosh, if I was anyone else, I would be shaking in my boots right now." She gripped his nose, pinching tightly. "Please. You're not even the scariest sibling."

A noise echoed behind him.

"Wow. Is it Christmas already?" A man's voice said, amused. Vernal peered up, amusement clouding up as she looked at whoever was standing behind him. "Gosh. And I didn't even get you anything."

"Shove it, Roman." Vernal growled, standing back up. The other girl tilted her head at Vernal, leaning against her umbrella as she watched the other woman.

"Oh how you wound me," He said, "I mean, Neo goes out of her way to make sure that you're safe, and you're going to be rude and ungrateful about it? Seriously, is politeness just dead, or are you just always a huge bitch?"

Vernal took a step forward, eyes flashing. "Say that to my face, then we'll see who's the bitch."

Roman let out a laugh. "I did, _bitch_. What're you going to do about it?"

"That's it!" Vernal snarled, lunging over Jaune, only to collapse on top of him as Neo grabbed her leg, climbing on top of her like a spider before pinning her down, holding a blade against her throat. "Get off me!" She screamed, struggling to push the petite girl off of her. Jaune couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction as she realized that the tiny girl wasn't letting go of her any time soon.

"Well. Now that we've got that out of the way," Roman said conversationally. Jaune saw movement as the thief walked around to face him, a cigar burning steadily in the corner of his lips. "Let's take a look at the merchandise." He pulled on Jaune's hair, meeting him in the eyes.

"How're you feeling, kiddo?" He asked, his face layered with fake concern. "I hope Neo didn't knock you out too hard. She always forgets that Beacon students a little more sensitive than most of the criminals that we deal with."

Jaune didn't answer, continuing to glare at the man.

"Nothing? Oh, come on, surely you've got something to say." Roman shook his head by the hair. "Do you think if I shake you hard enough, I'll get an answer that I like?"

"Fuck you." Jaune said.

"Hm." Roman said, rubbing his chin. "That's definitely _not_ the answer that I was looking for." He let go of Jaune's head, letting it bounce off of the floor as he stood up. "Well, I don't think there's anything this kid's going to give us. Neo?" The girl perked her head up, eyes hopeful. "Let's get rid of him, yeah?"

"Wait!" Vernal said, getting everyone else's attention. "Don't, don't kill him. Not yet."

Roman raised an eyebrow at that. "What? Why not? He's got nothing for us. If we keep him alive, that's just another mouth to feed. Wait." The man snorted in amusement. "You're not developing a conscience on us, are you? Because now would be the worst time to do it."

"That's not it," Vernal said, head tilted so that she could look at the thief. "He can be used."

"For?"

Vernal turned to look at Jaune, eyes boring into him. "Bait. Raven's been wanting to his sister for a while now. We can lure her in, then kill him."

Jaune's heart stopped.

"You... you can't." He croaked out, looking at Vernal. How could she even say that? Wasn't she—this didn't make any sense. "You would do that to Saphron?" Still, he got no reaction from the woman, who was ignoring him in favor of Roman, who seemed to be considering it. "Vernal! You bitch, you can't!" Jaune screamed.

"Hm," Roman said, ignoring the ranting boy next to him. "I don't know. What do I get out of it?"

"Raven would pay you handsomely for her." Vernal replied instantly.

"Money _is_ nice," He said, glancing back down at the boy, who was struggling against his bounds. "But I've got another idea." Vernal raised an eyebrow. "It wouldn't be a bad idea to have a bandit tribe chieftain who owes me a favor."

Vernal let out a slow breath. "That can be arranged, too."

Roman smirked, looking down at the girl. Finally, he tilted his head. "Neo." He said, the girl propelling herself back onto her feet, one of her boots finding its way on Vernal's leg as she got up, getting a wince from the bandit.

"I guess we can try that out." Roman allowed, shrugging. "We'll keep him for a few hours. But at the first sign of trouble, we're killing him." Roman crushed the burning end of his cigar, pocketing it. "I'm not going to keep letting him run around and screw up our plans. It's only a matter of time before she gets pissed off enough to incinerate one of us, you know."

Vernal stood up, staring at the man, loathing written clearly on her face. "I know." She said shortly, getting a nod from Roman.

"Good. Because if this manages to go sideways," Roman pointed his cane at her. "I'm pinning it all on you."

She didn't say anything as him and Neo left the room, leaving her alone with Jaune, who was still trying to wiggle out of his restraints while yelling abuse at her.

After the footsteps had faded away completely, Vernal looked down, her expression annoyed.

"God, will you fucking shut up?" She said, kicking Jaune in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him.

"You... hah..." Jaune panted, glare still affixed on her. "I thought... you loved her."

She crinkled her nose at that. "Please. The only person I love is me." Vernal said, turning around and hiding her face. The was a moment of silence before she turned back around. "Listen here, kid. You're going to lay here, quietly, while I send a picture of you to your sister. Then, you're going to lay here quietly while she comes in to try and save you." She snapped a photo of him, tapping her scroll idly. "Finally, you're going to lay here quietly while Raven grabs her, got it?"

"Fuck you!" Jaune screamed, rolling around to try and get loose. She laughed at that, grinning at him.

"Sorry, kiddo. Not my type."

* * *

Saphron slammed her hands on Ozpin's desk, snarling at the mask of calm on the headmaster's face. Professor Goodwitch stood to the side, arms crossed and lips drawn into a thin line as she watched the two of them face off.

"What?" Saphron asked, eyes narrowing as she dared him to repeat what he had just said. The headmaster wasn't one to be cowed, however, staring steadily at the younger woman.

"I said that we cannot deviate from our plans." Ozpin said firmly. "It is of great importance that you and Glynda make it to Vacuo in the time allotted. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the fate of Remnant could depend on this trip."

Saphron growled at that. "The fate of Remnant can wait," She said, crossing her arms. "My brother's out there, and someone has him." She spread her arms out. "You can't stop me from going out there to look for him!"

Ozpin glanced down at the scroll that Saphron had thrown at him when she had walked in earlier, looking at the photo of a trussed up Jaune, along with the captions 'come alone' hovering above him.

"I can't, in good conscience, let you go to what's obviously a trap, Ms. Arc." Ozpin said, trying to reason with the distraught girl. "I've already called Qrow to do a sweep of the city, and I assure you, he will be able to comb through Vale much faster than you can on foot." He leaned his head down a little, peering over his glasses. "Unless you have an inkling of where he could be kept?"

Saphron grit her teeth, hands turning into fists. "Whoever's doing this wants me, not Qrow. If they find out that he's looking for them and I'm not, what do you think they might do to Jaune?"

"For all of Qrow's... unfortunate habits, he has experience in being subtle when needed, Ms. Arc."

Her eyes narrowed. "You can't stop me from trying to find my brother."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. "On the contrary, Ms. Arc. You are an employee of Beacon, and you answer to me." He shook his head sadly. "I am loathe to do this, but if you force the issue, I will exercise my authority."

Saphron blinked at that, mouth slightly agape. "Are you serious, right now?" She asked.

This time, Ozpin spread his hands, genuinely looking apologetic. "I am sorry, Ms. Arc, but this is important. I know that you care for your brother, and that is why I have the best looking out for him now. He _will_ be found, and he _will_ be recovered, Ms. Arc. I swear to you. But I need you to go to Vacuo. It is gravely important."

The young woman stood there, looking between the headmaster and his deputy, both of whom stood firm, waiting for her to give in.

"He is my brother." She said firmly.

"And you are his sister, yes, I understand." Ozpin said. "But when you find him, what are you going to do next? The people who are holding him had to have suppress him somehow, and you have not quite found the fighting capabilities to—"

"I DON'T CARE!" She screamed, silencing him. No one talked, Saphron panting a little in anger, clenching her teeth in an effort not to say anything further to abuse the headmaster. It took another minute before she was able to finally collect enough of her thoughts to work her words.

"I thought that living in Beacon would be different." Saphron said softly, looking downwards as she talked. "I thought that Jaune would be safe, that we could live our version of a normal life." Raising her head, she fixed a vicious glare at the two of them. "I guess I was wrong about that."

Spinning on her heels, she stomped towards the elevator, only stopping when she pressed the button, waiting for it to arrive to Ozpin's office.

"Ms. Arc, what are you doing?" Ozpin asked, tilting his head. Professor Goodwitch still didn't say anything, but uncrossed her arms, hand touching her weapon. Saphron turned to the two of them.

"You can find someone else to go on that trip, Ozpin. I quit." Saphron heard the elevator doors open, and stepped through, letting the doors close on their shocked faces. Standing in the elevator didn't help her churning emotions, her stomach practically boiling over with anger and worry when it touched the ground.

She checked her scroll again, biting her lip as she looked at the photo of Jaune tied up, eyes wide with anger. Hopefully, he was alright, although she was sure that Vernal wouldn't do anything to hurt him. Minimizing the picture, Saphron stared at the messages that had followed the sent image.

 **V:** Safe, for now.

 **V:** Come, back door.

 **V:** Get help.

Following that was an address, something closer towards the center of the city.

"I'm coming, Jaune." Saphron whispered.

* * *

"He's not in the bookstore." Blake said idly, eyes glancing back in the direction of Tukson's Book Trade.

"So you have no idea where he would be, then." Yang said flatly, looking at the other girl, who just shrugged. "Wonderful. Well, I'm glad we can cross off a store that we were already sure he wasn't in. We're getting closer already. I can feel it."

"I think she got the message, Yang." Pyrrha said gently, placing a hand on her bicep. "Maybe we should just keep looking?"

Yang exhaled, letting it go. "You're right. Where to next?"

They looked at the map that Yang had pulled up on her scroll for a second before a message popped up over it, an unknown number.

 **Unk** :Where are you?

Pyrrha and Blake looked at Yang. "Who's that?" The blonde shrugged, typing a question back to the number.

 **Yang:** Who is this?

 **Unk** : Saphron. Where are you guys?

Yang let out a surprised sound. "It's Jaune's sister. I wonder how she got my phone number." She texted her their location, along with a follow up question as to why she wanted to know where they were, as well as how Saphron had gotten her number.

 **Saphron:** I think I know where Jaune is, and I need some backup.

 **Saphron:** Jaune's pretty careless with his scroll, BTW.

"Of course he is." Yang whispered softly, turning to look at the other girls. "Jaune's sister seems to know where he is." The three of them found an inconspicuous spot to lean against and wait for Saphron, talking to each other in low voices.

"How is it possible that she's found Jaune already?" Blake asked the other two. "She couldn't have been searching for much longer than us." Yang shrugged at the question.

"I'm not sure. Maybe she was just searching the right places."

Blake didn't seem so sure. "Even so, why didn't she go to any of the professors about it? Wouldn't it be smarter that way?"

Pyrrha frowned at the question. "Maybe it's because we're closer."

"If time was important, then I don't see why she would meet us here." Blake said, crossing her arms. "I would've just texted us the address and went in."

"Okay, that might make sense, except for the fact that maybe she can't hold Jaune down by herself? At least this way she'll have three other people to try and surround him so that he doesn't try and run away again?" Again Yang shrugged. "I don't know what's going on in her mind right now, but you can't fault her for not thinking straight right now. Her brother just ran away from her."

They fell silent as Saphron appeared around one of the corners, scanning the area intently until she spotted the three girls, which admittedly didn't take too long with their obvious color schemes.

"Great, let's go." Saphron said, barely getting the words out before spinning on her heels, only to be stopped by a hand on her collar.

"Wait." Yang said, holding her tight. "We've got a couple of questions."

Saphron spun around as best as she could, glaring at the other blonde. "We don't have time to ask questions! Jaune's in trouble, and if we don't act fast, he could die!"

Yang blinked at that, letting go of the woman's collar. "Wait. Jaune's in trouble? I thought he had just run away or something."

"He did. But now he's in trouble." Saphron looked desperately at Jaune's teammates. "Look, I'll answer any questions you guys have later. I'll tell you everything. Just help me get him back safely. Please."

The three girls looked at each other, then back at Saphron.

"Okay then, let's go." Yang said, "But you better explain everything afterwards."

Saphron nodded, biting her lip. "I will. To you and Jaune."

* * *

"Aren't you tired yet?" Vernal asked, pushing Jaune back onto the ground as he tried to right himself and attack her. It had been amusing at first, but after he had managed to latch onto one of her ankles, Vernal had decided not to keep herself open to another attack, even if she was bored out of her mind.

Jaune couldn't really answer with a gag around his mouth, but he tried his best to show his dissatisfaction by trying his hardest to squirm out from underneath Vernal's boot, thrashing unpredictably to try and loosen the pressure she was putting on top of him.

"I guess that answers my question." Vernal muttered, pushing him around a little bit more. Glancing to the only other occupant in the room, Vernal glared at Neo's expression of amusement, trying not to show any fear.

"What?" Vernal asked irritably. Neo didn't answer, only smiling a little wider.

The first time Vernal saw Neo, her instincts screamed at her. Be careful. That was a girl who knew more than she let on, and was infinitely more dangerous than her master was. Neo would happily slit Vernal's throat just to test out her mettle.

She made it a point never to present her back to the multi-colored girl.

Irritation threatening to spill over as Neo continued to not say anything, Vernal decided to take it out on the captive boy, pushing him face down with her boot, getting an indignant grunt out of him.

Finally, Roman popped his head into the room, raising an eyebrow at Vernal. "Still nothing?" He asked, getting a shake of the head from Neo, and a flipped bird from Vernal. "Huh. Well, they better hurry. This safe house has an expiration date, and I'm not one to stick around past a sell by date." Vernal rolled her eyes at the man, getting tired of his paranoia.

"Relax Roman. She'll come, and you'll get what you want." Vernal said, crossing her arms and hoping that Saphron had bought a good enough fighting force.

"I would hope so," Roman drawled, twirling his cane. "Because I'm getting a little antsy." He eyed the boy, pulling out a sharp knife. "Maybe we should send a little parcel her way, encourage her to arrive a little sooner."

Vernal was about to object when a man in sunglasses called for Roman, whispering into his ear. A grin split his face as he nodded to Neo, who disappeared into a shattering of glass. "Well, looks like she's right on time, then." Roman said, setting the knife on a nearby counter. "Let's go greet her, shall we?"

She waited until he left before checking her scroll, finding a flashing message on the screen.

 **S:** Here.

Vernal looked down at Jaune, who found another burst of energy after hearing that Saphron had arrived. She crouched down, patting his shoulder in fake sympathy, before heading out towards the door. Turning back, she looked at the confused boy.

And winked.

* * *

 **A/N: This scene is a getting a little long, but it'll be wrapped up next chapter, promise.**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: As a heads up, I'm going to be going on a hiatus for the month of September. I'll be posting the next chapter on October 2nd. Things are getting a little hectic in my life right now, and I'm sure you guys can tel that it's affecting my writing, so hopefully everything will be cleared up by the end of the month. I just suck so much right now. Sorry.**

* * *

Jaune tore the last of his bindings that wrapped around him, staggering up onto his feet at around the same time that the back door to the room opened up, a figure rushing through. Jaune didn't think, reacting instantly as he reversed the grip on the knife that Vernal had dropped him, hurling it at the figure before realizing that it was Yang.

With milliseconds to react to the thrown weapon, Yang blinked, fortunate enough to already have her Aura pulled up as the blade side of the knife slammed into her throat, Aura crackling as it protected her from a fatal throw. Still, the force of the throw was enough to choke the girl, stopping her charge as she choked on air.

Jaune dropped his arms down, furrowing his brow. "Yang? What're you guys doing here?" He asked as Blake and Pyrrha stepped through the door as well, weapons drawn and ready to react to whatever had struck at Yang.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha cried, lowering Milo. "Thank goodness you're alright." Blake didn't say anything, eyes watching the other door as she moved around the room, scanning for any other threats.

"What're you guys doing here?" Jaune asked again, turning to look at the gasping Yang. "Uh, sorry about that," He said guiltily. The blonde finally caught her breath, casting a death glare at the boy.

"Your sister found us." Pyrrha explained, "She told us to get ready to break you out while she confronted whoever tried to kidnap you."

"And you were fine with this?" Jaune said, gaping. "You're letting my sister face off against—Are you guys nuts?"

"She'll only be there for a little while, and she said that she had already called some backup." Yang crossed her arms. "Now how about we move up and catch whoever's up there off guard?"

Jaune pushed down his desire to continue yelling, knowing that time was of the essence. Tilting his head towards the door, Jaune moved first, cracking the door open quickly. There was no use trying to hide the fact that they had been practically yelling for the last minute, so they moved fast, sure that if anyone had heard them, they would've been attacked by now.

Jaune tried his best to ignore the feeling of his limbs waking back up, forcing them to push past the pins and needles and move properly. He knew that he was going into this fight with a single knife and his leather bracelet, but Raven had caught him in worse situations. He would adapt.

When they finally met someone, it was one of the uniformed men that Jaune had seen talking with Roman, caught off guard as he turned to face off against a full team of Huntsmen in training.

Jaune barely paused, flipping the knife around as he tackled the man, making a wide incision across his throat, lifting it and slamming it into his heart as well, killing the man almost instantly. Without pausing, Jaune lifted the gun that the man had been holding, stood up, and kept running, ignoring the slowed pace of his teammates as they witnessed what had just happened.

He could respect their ideals, but not when his sister was in danger.

He met another man, this one a little more aware, as he rounded the corner. More accurate with a knife than a gun, Jaune let the knife fly, the aim as true as when he had just attacked Yang a few moments ago. This man didn't have Aura to protect him though, and went down as the blade buried itself into his throat, the only sound leaving him a wet gurgle.

Once again, Jaune paused for a brief second, stooping down to retrieve the knife, as well as rifling through his pockets to find a collapsible baton. Not a knife, but easy and straightforward to use. Perfect.

"Jaune!"

Jaune didn't even care who had just yelled his name, continuing until he reached the last door in the hallway, kicking the door down and rushing through, finding himself facing down the end of Roman's cane, freezing.

"You know, if you're trying to sneak up behind someone, do it a little quieter, yeah?" Roman said, pulling the trigger.

The hallway was narrow, without much room to dodge, so Jaune simply let his Aura soak the Dust round, his boots scuffing the floor as he slid a few inches backwards. It wasn't nearly enough to put him down though, and Jaune took a step forwards, just in time for Neo to step in front of him, a wide grin on her face as she spun, heel meeting his chin.

Stars exploded behind his eyes, but Jaune pushed through and stepped closer, knowing that Neo would take advantage of any ground that Jaune gave her. Swinging the baton, Jaune tried to knock the girl's head off her shoulders, only to find her bending backwards, her boots once again finding their way onto his chin.

Twice in about as many seconds, Jaune found himself stunned, forced to take a step back. Neo Moved to sweep his feet from under him, only to bounce away when a shotgun blast roared through the air, creating wide furrows into the ground that she had just been standing on.

Roman frowned at that, readying his cane again. "Well, there goes our deposit." He squeezed the trigger again, this time aiming over Jaune's shoulder.

Clearing his mind enough to move, Jaune swung the baton in precise motions at Neo. While it was a little longer than what he was used to dealing, the weight was about the same, lending to a similar enough feel. Neo blocked an underhand swing with her parasol, eyes flashing with challenge.

Jaune heard a crack and a curse somewhere as he recoiled backwards, narrowly dodging the parasol as Neo swung, chambering it back to her hip as she struck out again, this time revealing the blade that had been installed, the tip touching Jaune's throat as he continued to back away.

Hurriedly pulling the leather strap off of his arm, Jaune wrapped it around his hands, stepping forward as Neo tried to stick him through the throat again, grabbing the blade and heaving, trying to get the weapon away from her. That didn't work very well, Neo jumping with Jaune's pull and planting both of her boots against his stomach, causing him to stumble backwards.

Yang, Blake, and Pyrrha seemed to be engaging Roman and his summoned goons, Saphron tossing a shard of a broken vase at the closest enemy.

Without much thought, Jaune pulled out the gun that he had nicked from one of Roman's henchmen and pulled the trigger, dumping the magazine out at Neo, who slid back and opened the parasol, because of course the parasol would be lined and prevent bullets from penetrating.

Still, it gave Jaune a bit of breathing room, which he used to close in on the temporarily blind Neo, twirling the knife in his hand, arcs swinging to close in on her jugular, her eyes, her arms and ligaments. Every attempt was deadly as Jaune struck, Neo lashing out when she could to keep the both of them off balance.

An explosion rocked them off balance, Jaune windmilling his arms to keep his balance as Neo rolled backwards, confusion visible on her face.

Another explosion followed the first one, getting screams from outside of the building.

"What the hell's going on?" Jaune said to himself, looking around to try and see what was happening around them.

His teammates had stopped fighting, withdrawing backwards as they tried to figure out what was going on as well. The goons looked just as confused, but were coming out of it a little faster, knowing that whatever was happening wasn't going to be good for them.

"Alright, this is getting a little too hot for me," Roman muttered, firing another shot as yet another explosion rocked through the frames of the building. "Neo!"

The girl exploded into a shower of glass and sparks, surprising the hell out of Jaune as she disappeared, only to reappear a second later inside of Jaune's guard, delivering a roundhouse kick that knocked him onto his knees, the girl scurrying away back towards Roman, stretching out her hand to touch him.

Another shotgun blast, this one louder, a little meaner, kept them separate, as Vernal pointed her weapon at the two of them.

Roman almost looked annoyed at that.

"Oh come on, Vernal. That unsatisfied with my leadership?"

The bandit snorted. "Yeah. Call this a mutiny."

A flurry of movement happened all at once, as Vernal blasted another shot at Roman, who replied back with his own shot, Neo blurring into movement towards the two women. Vernal fell into a defensive stance just as Neo vaulted over her, bringing the down once, twice at Saphron who didn't have any time to react, Aura flaring at the hits. Vernal cursed, spinning around to try and help the blonde before getting a kick in the back from Roman, knocking her off balance.

Jaune moved in, wrestling Neo's attention towards him, but not before she managed another strike, knocking Saphron off of her feet, Aura dying.

Sweat dripped down Jaune's forehead as he fought the whirlwind of a human, feet, knees, elbows, and a blade flashing towards him as he fell back defensively, trying his best to survive.

He knew that he couldn't keep this up forever. Eventually, Neo would get enough hits in to deplete even his Aura, then it would just be one small mistake to get impaled.

Jaune stopped retreating, gritting his teeth and digging his heels in, free hand diving towards Neo. The criminal's eyes widened, finding Jaune's fist gripping her coat, ignoring the blade that had struck him, along with the two kicks that had found themselves planted into his ribs.

Jaune roared, slamming his forehead into Neo's nose, getting a muted yelp from the girl, who wriggled out of her coat, spinning to kick him in the forehead, another salvo of stars appearing in front of his eyes.

A rattle of gunshots rang out around him, followed by a loud gasp.

Saphron.

Jaune forced himself through the pain, trying to find Saphron, and seeing her pale, eyes wide as she clutched her side, blood blooming.

No.

No no no no.

"Saphron!" Jaune screamed, barreling past Neo, ignoring the blade that struck him, Aura groaning as it fell onto its last legs. "Saphron!"

His sister took an unsteady step towards him, before crumpling into a heap, only making his panic worse. Vernal stepped in front of him, and for a second, Jaune imagined tearing through her, to hell with the consequences. Her words stopped him, though.

"Take care of Roman!" She said, face almost as pale as Saphron's. "I'll try to help her!"

Jaune turned to look at Roman, who was leveling Melodic Cudgel at them again, yelling at Neo to get them out of there.

Not on his watch.

His Aura shattered as he bodied the shot from Roman's cane, giving him a chance to get closer, forcing Neo to try and stop Jaune before he could get close to the thief. Jaune tanked the kicks and strikes, making sure that the blade didn't get close enough to touch him as he continued to move forward, eyes focused on Roman, who cursed as he tried to get a clear shot with Neo in the way.

"Move out of the way, Neo!" He barked, the girl ducking underneath a heavy swing from Jaune, rolling away as Roman pulled the trigger, a Dust round making its way towards Jaune.

The explosion stopped a few feet away from him, as Pyrrha found her way in between the two, using her shield to block the round.

"Thanks, Pyr," Jaune gasped out, turning to find Neo, who had disappeared. Hearing a noise above him, he found Neo falling away from him, Gambol Shroud blocking the multi-colored girl's ambush.

"Jaune!" Yang shouted, getting Jaune to focus just as something started humming behind him.

The hairs on the back of Jaune's neck rose up as he heard the familiar sound. One that haunted the two Arc siblings for years.

The younger Arc turned to see Vernal standing behind a glowing red portal, Saphron carried in her arms. The bandit looked at Jaune for a second before stepping through the portal, disappearing with his sister. His sister.

"No!" Jaune said, rushing towards the closing portal. He couldn't let her go back there. He can't.

The portal closed before Jaune could even get within a yard.

Saphron was gone.

Dead, or worse.

And it was his fault.

Jaune turned around, moving towards the only other people he could blame at the moment, both distracted by one of his teammates. It gave him the opportunity to strike back. To make them hurt.

He went for Roman, ducking underneath Pyrrha's guard, weaving through Melodic Cudgel's arc then slamming his knife as hard as he could into the thief's throat.

Luckily for Roman, he had enough Aura to survive the attack, falling back as he choked on air, hand shielding his throat from further attack. That was fine, because Jaune wasn't planning on aiming for the throat again.

Falling low, Jaune's blade flickered, trailing deep lines along the back of Roman's calf, finding the hamstring, and causing the thief to fall, gasping in pain.

Jaune clambered on top, knife falling as he tried to push the tip into one of Roman's eyes.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha said, horrified. Jaune ignored her.

Roman panted hard, trying his best to push the blade away, the tip shaking as it made its way inch by inch. It strayed a little off target towards the last stretch, which gave Jaune a good idea.

The moment the tip cleared the man's nose, Jaune decided to switch directions, moving his hands to the side instead of straight down, almost carving the man's face in half, and getting a primal scream of pain from Roman.

Good.

That was the last thing Jaune thought as he turned to find Neo, furious, flying through the air and slamming into Jaune.

Then, nothing.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Whew, sorry for the late upload, but I got a little sidetracked and couldn't finish the chapter until this week. Fortunately, September has ended, and I have woken, so hopefully,** _ **hopefully**_ **, chapters will resume their regular upload schedule. Hope you guys enjoy, and tell me what y'all think.**

* * *

Jaune wasn't going to let them stop him. He couldn't let anyone stop him.

Saphron had been kidnapped, and Jaune had done nothing but stand by and watch it happen.

A feeling, a heat rose up towards his chest, the memory of Saphron bundled up in Vernal's arms striking him almost like a physical blow. The rest of the fight was a blur to him. He barely remembered anything, except that he had rushed at the one he considered to be responsible.

Jaune hoped Roman would remember him for a long, long time.

Another pulse, this time darker, and more painful, crept up and around his side, making him wince. Ignoring the pain, Jaune ducked around a corner, finding himself face to face with an idle Bullhead, ready to take him away from here, and back to his sister.

He failed her once, but he would make up for it by burning Raven and Vernal at the stake once he arrived back at Mistral.

His ears perked up at he heard his name called out, but the rest of his body sprung into action, moving at a marked pace, albeit slower than his normal sprint. He needed to save his energy, after all. It would take everything to lay siege to Raven's tribe. It might even cost him his life.

"Jaune!"

Crawling through the window that he had just broken, Jaune shook off some droplets of blood, muttering to himself as he tried to refresh himself on how to hijack and pilot a Bullhead. Raven had given him these specific set of skills, and he would use them against her, damned be the consequences.

Unfortunately, the Bullhead seemed to be a newer model than the ones that Raven had made him practice on, because the buttons were all in the wrong place, and there wasn't an ignition slot. Still, it wasn't enough to deter the boy, who grunted a little as he tried to pry the console open with a thin bladed knife, hissing as the blade snapped. It gave away once he transferred over to a thicker, sturdier knife though, and Jaune started to rifle through the contents, trying to remember what he needed to do for takeoff.

He heard his name again, but once again disregarded it in favor of ripping out a handful of wires.

Jaune stiffened as he felt arms wrap around him, trying to pull him into a paralyzing bear hug. He exploded into vengeful fury at that, roaring at the blonde to let him go.

"Jaune, please!" Yang pleaded, mouth placed next to his ear so that there was no way he could drown that out. "Stop, you're hurting yourself!" Something pricked him in the neck, another one of his teammates trying to ruin yet another attempt.

"Get off me!" Jaune said, struggling and ignoring the way his body flooded with pain. "I just need... my..." The drug flooded his system quickly, the drowsiness already overtaking him. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't push through it. Couldn't help his... "Sister."

* * *

Jaune slowly woke up to the sound of talking, rousing him and reminding himself of every injury that he had accumulated in the past few days. Slowly coming into grips with reality, he was able to just barely stop himself from groaning out, although he stopped breathing for a second as a wall of pain hit him.

Still, it was enough to keep quiet, and allowed him to hear a little bit of whomever was talking a little behind the curtain.

"—This is the fifth time this week! We can't keep letting him do this, he ends up agitating his wounds more and more, _and_ that's not counting the other wounds that he keeps getting while he's trying to break out!" Yang half-shouted, half-whispered. "We need to try something else, or he's going to end up killing himself!"

"What else can we do?" Blake responded back, frustration clearly evident in her tone of voice. "Should we just try to lock him up like an animal until we're sure he'll stop trying to escape? We can't do that."

Pyrrha's quiet voice filtered in a second later to respond to her. "That wouldn't work anyways. Jaune's crafty, and stubborn. He would figure a way out, or just continue hurting himself until someone lets him go."

Yang let out a harsh sigh. "Then what can we do?" There was a pause. "Maybe we could sedate him until he's finished healing?"

"That wouldn't change the fact that he would try to run away the moment he woke back up again."

The group fell silent, left to try and ponder out a solution to the problem. Jaune turned as slowly as he could, finding himself cuffed to the bed. Unfortunately, he couldn't figure out what kind of handcuffs they were, knowing that making any sound would set the girls off.

Turning the other way, Jaune squinted his eyes a little, trying to see if he could spot maybe a wayward scalpel or other utensil laying on one of the rolling carts near him.

"Did you see what he did to Professor Goodwitch?" Blake asked, changing the subject. "Maybe that's why he's been keeping his Semblance a secret, huh?"

"He hasn't been keeping it that much of a secret." Pyrrha objected, "He's used it several times in front of us."

"He used one _part_ of his Semblance in front of us," Blake corrected, taking on a bit of an annoyed tone. "I don't think he's ever shown us _that._ " The other two murmured their agreement, giving Jaune enough background sound to shift a little, craning his neck to see the top of the cart.

Damn. Nothing.

"Maybe we shouldn't be fighting this so hard?" Pyrrha offered, getting two sounds of surprise from the other girls. "Well, he's only getting so hurt because we're not letting him go and find Saphron, right? Maybe we could figure out some sort of compromise?"

Jaune clenched his teeth as he strained a little further in hopes that he could reach that last half an inch, his fingers brushing the cart. Maybe if he could get it close enough, there would be something inside that he could use to bust himself out of the bed.

Maybe he could just use damn cart to smash the railing free and hop out of the window.

He'll get there when he gets there.

"What're you talking about, Pyrrha? Have you seen how he's been acting just to try and get off of Beacon?" Yang asked, incredulous. "He's going to get himself killed trying to get his sister back."

The was a long pause, save for Jaune's quiet grunts as he finally hooked his fingertips to a crevice on the cart, giving it an experimental tug to see if it would make any noise when it rolled. There was a squeak, but it should be quiet enough that Jaune would be able to move it when they started to talk again.

"He would get himself killed." Pyrrha agreed. "If it was just himself."

"What?"

"Well, four Huntsmen are better than one," Pyrrha said, her voice rising a little as she tried to defend herself. "Maybe with the three of us, we would be able to keep Jaune safe."

"Are you crazy?" Blake asked, "We can't just leave Beacon like that."

"Why not?" Pyrrha shot back.

"We... we've got class. And homework." Blake said lamely. Jaune could hear Pyrrha crossing her arms, not needing to say a word to that. "Well, I doubt the professors would be okay with us just up and leaving the academy."

"I think that this is more important than missing a couple of classes." Pyrrha said resolutely. "What do you think, Yang?"

Yang didn't reply, forcing Jaune to pause his efforts.

"Yang?" Pyrrha asked again.

"I... I'm thinking." Yang said, shuffling a little. "It's not really an easy decision to make, you know?"

"This is our teammate we're talking about." Pyrrha said, trying to coax Yang, but finding it to have another effect on the blonde.

"Yeah, don't you think I know that?" Yang snapped out. "But teammates should be looking out for each other, not just coming along on death traps just because it feels like there aren't any other options! Maybe instead of enabling him, we should double down and make him understand how idiotic of an idea it would be to try and do a one man siege against Raven! And adding three more bodies doesn't change how that's going to end up!"

Jaune closed his eyes, Yang's words ringing in his ears. He knew that she was right, to some degree. If it was the other way around, he would understand how ridiculous of an idea it would be to do something like this. But...

"If it was Ruby, would you be fine with just sitting around doing nothing?" Jaune said, his voice a little hoarse, but still clear enough for his team to realize that he was awake.

The curtain was drawn back in a rush, Pyrrha and Blake giving him worried looks, while Yang looked furious.

"What did you just say?" She snarled, eyes red. Jaune wasn't deterred, trying to cross his arms for a second before remembering that one of them was cuffed to the bed.

"What if Raven had kidnapped Ruby? You'd be okay with us trying to reason with you? Telling you how stupid of an idea it would be? And you would be okay with that, knowing that Raven could be doing who knows what to your sister?"

Yang almost vibrated, she looked so angry. Violence hazed the air around her, to the point that Pyrrha and Blake looked ready to hold her back so that she wouldn't beat the living daylights out of Jaune. Through some miracle, Yang calmed herself down, eyes fading back to lilac.

"Ruby would never be in that position in the first place," Yang said, voice filled with contempt. "Because I wouldn't have ever been an idiot enough to leave Beacon for no reason and get held hostage because of my carelessness!"

Jaune felt the words in his stomach, bringing out a truth that he had been trying to run from just as hard as he had been running from Beacon.

This was his fault.

Yang could see that what she said had hit him, and gave him a second to let it settle in. "Jaune, I know you're hurting, but you need to settle down for a little and think things through for a second. Do you really think Saphron would be happy with you losing your life trying to rescue her? Seriously. Think about it."

Jaune didn't say anything, instead continuing to glare at her in hopes that she would stop talking. It didn't quite have the intended effect that he wanted, but Yang relaxed her expression, turning the hard look into a soft look of sympathy.

"I can't just leave her." Jaune said, voice cracking a little. "She's my only sister. My last sister."

Yang winced at that, biting her lip.

"You're very hurt, Jaune," She said, tone still soft, careful. "And every time you try and fight your way through is just making things worse." She looked at their teammates, letting out a small sigh. "If you can calm yourself down long enough that the nurse can discharge you..." Yang drew a pained face. "I suppose we can... discuss... what to do next."

Jaune stared at her, expression drawn. "That doesn't really sound like a good answer," He said, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not meant to be." Yang crossed her arms. "But it's the best guarantee that I'm willing to make right now."

The bed ridden boy looked away from Yang, eyeing his surroundings again. It would be a lot harder for him to find a way to escape now that everyone was looking at him...

Still, agreeing didn't seem right. It was logical, but Jaune couldn't help but feel like he hadn't explored all of his options yet. And he wasn't going to let Saphron go without knowing that he tried his damndest to save her.

Yang took his silence for what it was, expression of sympathy morphing into something a little harsher, letting out a tired sigh as she turned to the rest of the team.

"Come on guys, let's give him a little bit of time to think things over." Yang ushered them out slowly, turning to look once more at the blond boy. "Hopefully, he'll pick the right choice."

The door shut behind her, Jaune instantly pulling on the handcuffs to try and free himself. It didn't take long before he discovered that the bed and cuffs were reinforced, and that they had disarmed him completely. Even the tiny inch long knife that he had kept was gone.

Jaune suppressed a harsh growl, closing his eyes and trying to think of a way to get out of the bed.

Or even if he should get out of the bed.

Yang hadn't been completely wrong. Okay, Jaune could admit, Yang hadn't been wrong at all. He knew that he was going on a suicidal run if he escaped. The best he would end up doing would probably be killing a couple of Raven's bandits. He wasn't a fool. Raven wouldn't even bother with trying to fight him. She would just let him wear himself down, then swoop in for the kill, if she was even motivated enough to do that.

But every time Jaune closed his eyes, he could see his sister, blood flowing, eyes panicked as she turned to look at him.

He was supposed to protect her.

Jaune didn't bother hiding the tears that rolled down his cheeks. This was the first time that they had been apart in years, and he was allowed to mourn her. Not that she was dead. She wasn't.

He didn't know how long he ended up crying for, the tears fading into a deep and dreamless slumber that Jaune didn't wake up to until he felt a presence enter his personal bubble, jolting him awake.

The nurse that was taking his temperature jolted back in surprise, Jaune's teeth narrowly missing her hand as he lunged, mind foggy and body on autopilot. Incorporeal tendrils wrapped around his body and slammed his body back into the bed, leaving him stunned as the air from his lungs left his body.

"Mr. Arc, control yourself!" Professor Goodwitch snapped, crossing her arms as she stared at him.

Jaune settled down after waking up completely, realizing what had just happened. He cast an apologetic glance at the grim nurse, who eyed him suspiciously as she picked the Dust thermometer back up, glancing at the professor for the go ahead.

Glynda didn't answer right away, keeping her gaze locked with Jaune for the time being. "Mr. Arc, you need to control yourself while the nurse attends to you, or I _will_ restrain you further. Do you understand?" She waited until she got a stiff nod from Jaune before letting him go, the ethereal threads of her power loosening around him. Still, the nurse waited for the professor to nod before moving in cautiously, placing the thermometer on Jaune's head.

"His temperature seems a little high, but that's to be expected due to his... rambunctious nature." The nurse said, checking the thermometer as she reported to the deputy. "Everything else seems to be healing steadily, but we ought to keep a close eye out, just in case he breaks out into a fever."

"Any chance of infection?" Glynda asked.

The nurse started to shake her head before she stopped herself, biting her lip. "Normally, I wouldn't say so. Aura tends to make sure of that, but the patient hasn't really been encouraging healthy re-growth of theirs."

"What are the chances Mr. Arc does get struck with a fever?"

"Not very high," The nurse said, humming a little as she thought about it. "I would give it maybe a twenty percent chance. Maybe a little more, a little less, depending on how much more... outspoken he's going to be."

Professor Goodwitch finally broke eye contact with Jaune, giving the nurse a small nod. "Thank you, Mrs. Grey. If you don't mind, I would like the room for a little while." The nurse nodded, glancing one more time at Jaune before departing, the door shutting with a gentle click.

The room fell silent as the two blonds stared at each other. Jaune refused to break, jutting out his chin as he looked at the woman. Minutes ticked by as they tried to one up each other's stares. Professor Goodwitch had a mean stare, but Jaune was stubborn enough to hold out, until a voice floated through the room, filled with amusement.

"I think that's enough for now, Glynda." The curtain beside Jaune drew back, revealing the headmaster sitting on a stiff-backed chair, sipping from his mug. "I think Mr. Arc is just stubborn enough to stand your anger." He said, laughing a little as she cast him an offended look. Jaune just looked between the two of them, wondering how he hadn't noticed that the headmaster had been there the entire time.

Finally, the man turned his attention towards the bound boy.

"Mr. Arc. I would ask how you are feeling, but I think everyone in this room knows the answer to that." Ozpin said, taking another sip out of his mug. Jaune felt anger and indignation rising in his chest with how casual the man sounded. Ozpin didn't miss Jaune's look either, shaking his head slightly. "I'm sorry that it has come to the point where we have to restrain you, but you must understand that after so many attempts of fleeing Beacon grounds, we were forced to take sterner measures."

Jaune didn't answer, simply glaring at the man. Ozpin didn't let that deter him, continuing to speak.

"Now, I sympathize with the fact that your sister has been abducted, but you must realize that you are in no condition to go after her. I'm sure your teammates have said the same, but even in your best shape, you would be no match for Raven and her powers."

Again, Jaune didn't answer, simply content with glaring a hole into the headmaster. Ozpin sighed, deciding to change tact.

"However, it's very noble of you to try and rescue your sister. While I don't condone how dangerous your attempts have been to try and escape, I can't help but respect your drive."

"If you respected me at all, you would let me go." Jaune snapped back, practically baring his teeth at the man. Ozpin raised his eyebrow at that.

"On the contrary. It is precisely _because_ I respect you that I refuse to let you head to your death. It would be a disservice to you, your sister, and your team for you to lose your life at such a young age."

Jaune wished he could've crossed his arms at that. "I don't care. My sister could be hurt, or worse right now, and I'm not going to let Raven have my sister again. It might not mean anything to everyone else, but I would rather die trying than do nothing!"

Ozpin took another sip out of his mug as he listened to Jaune rant, waiting patiently for him to fall silent. When the boy finally did so, Ozpin set the mug aside, looking past Jaune's curtains to something that the blonde couldn't see.

"Mr. Arc," The headmaster started, turning his attention back towards the boy. "Do you really think that no one is doing anything for your sister right now?"

Jaune wanted to roll his eyes. As if that wasn't obvious from what he had just said a second ago.

Ozpin hummed, leaning forward a little. "Did you know that in between one of your many escapes, your teammates had approached me and asked for temporary leave so that they could travel to Mistral?" He paused, looking at Jaune's expression of surprise. "No? Did you also know that they have asked us for any form of aid that we could give after your fourth and fifth attempts at escaping?" Again, Jaune couldn't hide the stunned look on his face. "No? Well, did you know that they had attempted to unlock the restraints from your bed when they came in just a few hours ago? Yes, Mr. Arc, they had been waiting for you to wake up for that long." Ozpin waited for another second, but Jaune had nothing to say to him, trying to process what he had just been told.

"Mr. Arc, you have friends that care about you, even if they aren't up front about it. They are worried about you, and they are worried about your sister." The headmaster spread out his hands. "And how could they not be? They're Huntresses."

That... meant a lot to Jaune. It didn't even occur to him that they had cared enough to go that far for him. Guilt wormed its way through his stomach once more as he thought about everything that he had thrown back at them.

Jaune slumped down a little, not sure what to say. The silence stretched on, Ozpin content with the fact that he had finally, successfully hammered the point home to Jaune. And he had, the tendrils of logic finally worming its way through Jaune's panicked and worried mind.

"I... I'm sorry." Jaune finally struggled to say. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I just want my sister back." He sighed, shaking his head. "I'm glad that my team cares enough about me to try and help my sister out, even if that didn't do anything."

Once again Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Didn't do anything? Mr. Arc, who says that it hasn't done anything?" Ozpin leaned over to the side, pulling the curtain away and revealing an open window, where a single crow was perched, watching Jaune curiously.

A flutter of hope erupted in Jaune's chest.

"Mr. Arc. I know it might not seem like it at the moment, but I care deeply about everyone residing in this academy. Your sister was an invaluable employee, as well as a brilliant woman. It would be remiss of me to simply let her go."

The crow hopped off of the windowsill, transforming into the grizzled man that Jaune was beginning to really admire. A little windswept, but unhurt, Qrow grinned a little at the boy, brushing his hands against his pants before revealing a sealed envelope.

"Hey, kiddo," He rasped, "I've got some mail for you."

Jaune reached out to try and grab the envelope, only for Qrow to skip a step out of his reach, making the blond growl.

"Whoa, let's calm down for a second, brat." Qrow said, letting out a little chuckle.

"I am calm." Jaune snarled out, lunging at Qrow again. The words didn't exactly calm any of the adults standing around. "I'll be calm when you give me that!" He corrected, gritting his teeth as Qrow made no move to get closer to him.

Normally, Jaune would be able to out-stubborn anyone, happy to continue doing what he wanted until the other person's resolve was finally broken. That was why he had continuously tried to break free.

But now wasn't the time to be stubborn. Not with news from Saphron so close to him now.

Forcing himself to breathe a little slower, Jaune settled down, although the glare didn't entirely leave his face as he looked at the amused grin on Qrow's face.

"Well. Looks like you _can_ listen, after all," Qrow said, dropping the parcel on Jaune's lap, who eagerly tore it open, eyes scanning the letter that he had just received.

 _I am alive, Jaune._

 _Please don't come after me._

 _Get stronger._

 _I love you._

 _-Saph_

Jaune flipped to the backside, wondering if there was anything else that his sister had written for him.

Nothing.

He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"She didn't have much time to write anything, Jaune." Qrow said, leaning against the wall. "Raven almost always knows exactly where I am, so it wasn't easy fooling her and finding a way to get into contact with your sister."

Jaune looked at the older man, noticing the extra edge of raggedness, and the tired way that he was holding himself.

"Can you send a letter back?" Jaune asked in a small voice, trying to keep the hope from rising too quickly through his voice. The three adults looked at one another, unspoken conversation flying above Jaune.

"Getting to the tribe without getting caught by Raven is hard," Qrow said slowly, "And unfortunately, I've got a lot more on my plate than just to be sending messages back and forth. But..." Qrow let out a tired sigh. "I guess I can send a reply back. I just can't guarantee that it'll be anytime within the next week or so."

"That's fine," Jaune said hurriedly, happy enough that he could send his own letter. Ozpin, however, stopped him short as he raised a hand.

"However," The headmaster interrupted, "We have one condition for you."

A condition? Jaune's stomach sank. He had a feeling he knew what it was going to be.

"Stay at Beacon. Stay with your team. Train, and do your coursework. As of right now, I cannot condone you or your team for heading to the Branwen camp, but if you guys show suitable growth and promise..." Ozpin glanced at the other two adults in the room. "I might be able to arrange something."

"Something?" Jaune questioned.

"That's all I can give you right now, Mr. Arc." Ozpin leaned back, steepling his fingers. "Do we have a deal?"

Jaune looked at the adults, mind swirling with options. He could try to break free again, damned the consequences. It wasn't much of an option, now that he was thinking more logically through things, but it was still an option.

He could pretend to agree, and wait patiently until everyone lowered the guard enough for him to escape. That wasn't a terrible option, and if Jaune played it right, no one would know until it was too late.

But Ozpin wasn't being unreasonable. He had given Jaune a very lenient choice, and one that would probably give him the best chance of rescuing his sister, who was still alive. Saphron was still alive.

As long as she was alive, Jaune would find a way to free her.

"Okay." Jaune said, closing his eyes as he tried to think of an appropriate letter to send to his last living sibling.

"I'll stay."


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Once again, I am back, and ready for action! Things are going to be falling into more familiar territory as we start ticking through the events, but also going to be a little different... So... Yeah. Let me know what you guys think.**

* * *

"Hah!"

Jaune leaned back as Pyrrha's thrust sailed over him, using the rest of his momentum to continue into a back flip, tossing two knives through the air and forcing her to step aside as they flew past her. Kneeling down, Jaune lashed his leather strap out, wrapping it around Pyrrha's ankle and pulling hard, getting her off of her feet, albeit momentarily. He couldn't do much more, as he was forced to let go and roll backwards as a rattle of bullets pinged off of the ground, Blake covering for Pyrrha.

Springing back onto his feet, Jaune peered at Yang who fell into a loose stance beside him.

"I thought you were distracting Blake." Jaune whispered, tone more playful than annoyed. The other blonde shrugged, raising her fists.

"It's not my fault that you can't beat Pyrrha in under two minutes. I couldn't stall Blake forever, you know. She was going to catch on eventually."

Jaune grunted, spinning a knife around on one finger as he watched the other pair fall into a defensive stance, whispering tactics back and forth to each other.

"Well, I'm tried out," Jaune confessed, nudging the girl. "Wanna do a switch?"

Yang smirked, eyes flaring red. "I thought you'd never ask."

The other two concluded that the time for talking was through, springing into action. Blake dove for Yang, while Pyrrha unfolded Milo and took a couple of shots at Jaune, happy to face the same opponents and wear the two of them down.

Yang blocked Pyrrha's attacks, trusting Jaune to intercept Blake as she started to engage Pyrrha, letting loose a pair of shotgun blasts that forced Pyrrha to reposition.

Jaune parried Gambol Shroud, reversing quickly to strike Blake's unprotected side, finding a clone at his mercy. Luckily, he had faced Blake plenty of times to continuing striding forward, taking a couple of steps straight through the fading shadow and continuing to engage Blake in blade-play, something that Jaune had discovered he had more of a talent for than the faunus.

Almost a week and a half had passed since Jaune had lost his sister, and Team JNBY had fallen into an understanding. Jaune had apologized, as wholeheartedly as he could to the team, and along with that, followed it with a brief rundown of his sordid past.

The reactions had been... varying, to say the least.

Jaune waited until Blake tried to spring an attack on him again before he slid underneath, wrapping her leg with another leather strap that he had just bought and brought her falling face down onto the floor.

"You know," Jaune grunted out, grinning, "For a faunus, you seem to be a little off balance."

Blake glared at him, eyes narrowing as she folded Gambol Shroud, taking shots at Jaune as she shook her leg free.

Following Jaune's long-winded confession of his past, Blake decided to step up and confess with her own story, unwrapping her bow and revealing to her team that she was a faunus. She explained her past with the White Fang, and why she left, the rest of the team responding sympathetically to her. Well, Jaune had already known, but had joined in on assuring Blake that they wouldn't treat her any differently than before. If anything, he was happy enough to get the third degree off of his back and onto someone else's.

Jaune made sure to close the distance with Blake again, knowing that getting too far would get him peppered with bullets and forcing her into fighting two blades with one.

The back and forth lasted for several seconds to almost a minute before a shotgun blast from Yang wandered a little too close to Jaune and Blake, getting the faunus to falter in her rhythm. Jaune didn't hesitate, wrapping his strap around Blake's wrist and causing her to flinch and attempt to pull herself out.

Jaune let go of the strap the moment Blake pulled, leaving her off balance. Procuring a high voltage dust taser, Jaune tackled Blake to the ground, holding the taser to her neck, waiting for her to tap out.

The moment Blake's hand touched the ground, Jaune sprung up, trying to get to Yang and help her out with Pyrrha.

His heart dropped when he heard a loud yelp, seeing Yang roll onto the ground, falling prone onto the ground, Aura touching red.

Pyrrha turned, raising her sword and shield up as her eyes flashed in challenge, scuffed, but ready for Jaune to fight her.

His partner had taken Jaune's past the hardest, her face pale almost the entire time as he told them about it. Afterwards, she had pulled him to the side and apologized profusely to him, hoping that he would forgive her for being so angry at him. That had been a quick and awkward conversation, Jaune not sure how to move on except by nodding mutely and giving her a tense hug.

Pyrrha didn't wait much longer before she charged forwards, sword tip quickly filing Jaune's view, forcing him to weave to the side, stepping backwards to narrowly dodge her attempted shield slam. Jaune hooked his fingers on the edge of Akouo, pushing it down and attempting to finagle a dagger through Pyrrha's solid defenses.

The tip sparked against her breastplate, sliding and scratching it while Pyrrha swung at Jaune's head, going for a pommel strike.

Jaune disengaged, dropping to one knee to grab a knife that he had placed in his boot, tossing one low and another high, trying to get Pyrrha with at least one.

With a disgusting display of acrobatics, Pyrrha tucked her arms in and jumped into the air, spinning sideways to dodge the blades before dropping into a three point landing, flicking her ponytail and flashing a sporting smile at him.

Show off.

Jaune took a step forward, palming the inside of his sleeve for the small derringer that he had hidden earlier, pulling it out and squeezing off a shot, the pistol jumping in his hand as he fired. Blake didn't even need to dodge it, the bullet whizzing past her as she moved in again, only freezing when the horn above them sounded out, notifying the end of the practice match.

"Aw, come on!" Yang complained, throwing her up her hands as she was sitting on the edge of the arena, excitedly watching the fight. "We were just getting to the good part!"

Pyrrha let out a laugh, lowering her weapons with a sigh of relief, rolling her shoulders as Jaune stowed his own weapons away, wiping the sweat off his brow. Three minutes was a long time when it came to a spar like this, and everyone was ready for a bottle of cold water and some time off of their feet.

"That was the last set, right?" Blake panted out, sliding down against an opposite wall, wiping her face with a damp towel. "Because I don't think I can take another three minutes of this."

Jaune let out a bark of laughter, debating on his dignity before simply spreading out onto the cool tile, soaking up the cold. "No, that's the last one. I think Yang needs to get going."

The blonde brawler nodded, tossing her towel across her shoulders. "Yeah. I need to meet up with Weiss to continue planning for the dance. Which you guys'll be coming for, right?" Yang asked, the question pointed towards Jaune, who rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. I think I can take a break for one night and 'let loose'."

Yang let out an unconvinced grunt, but decided not to pursue it, not wanting to be late for her meeting with her sister's teammate.

Jaune looked at the time, wondering if he couldn't fit in another hour or two of training before he had to do any homework that was due tomorrow.

Well. It wouldn't be too hard for him to procrastinate and do homework tomorrow morning, either. A little more training wouldn't hurt...

"Hey, Jaune!"

Ruby appeared in his field of view, hopping down onto the arena with a wide smile, eyes sparkling as she approached him.

"Hey, Ruby." Jaune said, twirling a knife as he greeted her. "What're you doing here?"

Ruby shrugged, kicking some dust as she looked around the room. "Well, Yang's kind of stolen my teammates, so I thought I would do the same," Her eyes lit up as she saw approached Jaune. "Did you get to test it out? Did you?"

Jaune pulled the small pistol out again, showing it to her. "I'm not the best shot at it," He confessed, before stowing it away again. "I missed my target by a mile."

"Really?" Ruby frowned, looking at the other girls. "That's... disappointing."

"Well, not everybody's able to put in the hours that you do, Ruby," Jaune said, shrugging. "And not everybody's got the money for it either."

Ruby nodded, having to concede the point to Jaune. "Yeah, you're right. The Dust robberies aren't helping anything, either." Jaune nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing with her. Ozpin had set up a stipend for him for anything that he needed over the school year, but he couldn't just blow it all on ammo. "Still, you need practice Jaune," Ruby said, wagging a finger at him. "A gun's just a tool. If you don't practice, you aren't going to hit anything with it."

Jaune snorted, crossing his arms. "Well, if you want to let me borrow some ammo from you, I'll gladly go practice some more." Ruby backed up a little, eyes growing wide as she tried to find a way to say no.

"Uh, well. I _would_ but, I kind of—um." Ruby coughed into her hand, "How about we save that for another day then?" She asked, changing the subject. "How about we hang out instead?"

"Hang out?" Jaune asked, confused. "Why?"

"Why? Because I want to hang out with you, silly," Ruby said, raising an eyebrow. "Do I need a reason to want to hang out with a friend?"

"Well, no," Jaune allowed, "But what about doing your homework then?"

"I don't wanna," Ruby whined, drawing the last word out as she pouted at him. "Some of this stuff I don't really get. I skipped two years to get here, remember?"

"You do remember that I haven't had _any_ form of Huntsman schooling ever before now, right?" Jaune asked, raising an eyebrow. Ruby ignored him, continuing to talk.

"I mean, Weiss helps a lot but she makes studying so boring," Ruby said, scratching the bottom of her chin before her eyes lit up, an idea coming to her. "Oh, I know! We should study together!"

"Together? Shouldn't we get someone who would actually know what's going on when we're studying?"

"That's what Blake and Pyrrha is for!" Ruby said, pointing at the two girls on the side, both of whom were looking at them in bemusement. "I mean, unless they don't want to." Ruby turned to them expectantly, getting a shrug from Blake and a laugh from Pyrrha.

"I don't see why not," Pyrrha said, "I need to do some homework for Oobleck anyways." Blake just nodded, heading towards the lock rooms.

"Alright then, it's decided," Ruby said, clapping her hands together. "I'll see you guys in your room!"

Before Jaune could say anything otherwise, she disappeared, leaving Jaune in a bit of a daze. He turned to try and get a second opinion, only to find the other two already gone.

Moving his wet bangs away from his forehead, Jaune let out a sigh, shaking his head. He knew what was going on. Ruby's arrival was too perfectly timed to be as spontaneous as she played it off to be. Jaune took one last look at the arena, his urge to train harder itching the back of his hands.

It took more effort than he was willing to admit, but Jaune pushed the past the urge, moving towards the male locker rooms, heading for a quick shower.

It didn't take much more than fifteen minutes for Jaune to finish up, heading towards his room without the Blake and Pyrrha. A good teammate would've waited, and Jaune was trying to be a good teammate, but he needed some time alone.

A week and a half, and Jaune hadn't had much time to himself. It was either schoolwork or training, and his teammates or Team RRWN always made sure one of them was by his side. His team had been thoughtful enough not to spill everything he had told them to the other team, but Ruby was insightful, and it didn't take much for her to get Yang to admit that Jaune had some sort of troubled past. After being cornered by the surprisingly strong willed girl, Jaune told her about his past as well, but only after extracting a promise that she wouldn't tell the rest of his teammates.

So while he appreciated the thoughtfulness and concern that they were showing, he was also starting to crave a little bit of time alone, to keep to himself and line his thoughts back up.

And so he snuck away, just for a little bit so that he could clear his head.

He still doesn't understand why he had to slog through all of this homework. He would never say this aloud next to Blake, but why was it important for a Huntsman to know the history of the Faunus Revolution? It sucked, but they were meant to fight Grimm, right?

And while Jaune was improving, he still felt like he was getting strong enough, fast enough. How was he going to take on Raven if he didn't train as much as he possibly could?

Jaune flipped his arm over, noting his fading scars from his last attempt to escape Beacon. Aura was a miracle worker, he noted, wondering how many more days it would be before the scars faded completely. Everyone had been right about him being a little hysterical. What _was_ he planning to do after he escaped Beacon?

He probably would've ended up dying in front of Saphron, with how sadistic Raven was. Gods, just imagining Saphron's face if that happened was enough for him to berate himself on how idiotically he had been behaving.

Distracted as he was, Jaune hadn't noticed a form moving in front of him, the two of them colliding with enough force to find them on the floor. As the two of them untangled their limbs and stood back up, golden eyes flashed his way as a soft and apologetic smile appeared on her face, making Jaune's heart beat a little faster. Extending his hand to help her stand up, Jaune couldn't help but let his eyes trail a little lower, appreciating the view that was in front of him.

Hey, Jaune might have been driven and focused, but he wasn't _dead_.

"Sorry," Jaune muttered, shuffling aside to let her past. The woman didn't move right away, her eyes trailing him like he had just done a moment earlier, causing a shiver to go up his spine.

"Hey, Jaune, I thought you were going to wait for us before..." Pyrrha trailed off as she saw the other woman, Blake following a couple feet behind. The woman turned to look at Pyrrha, expression unchanging as she moved on to Blake, then back to Jaune.

"Sorry, I was trying to find my room." She lifted up her scroll. "You all wouldn't happen to know where it is, would you?" She asked, showing them the blinking room number.

"Uh, yeah," Jaune said, pointing down the hallway. "You're not too far off. Just take a right and you'll pretty much be there."

The woman smiled, which made Jaune sort of want to smile, as she thanked him. "I'm Cinder, by the way. Cinder Fall."

"Jaune." He said, before introducing the other two girls. "This here's Pyrrha, and she's Blake."

Cinder inclined her head, "Well, it was nice to meet you three. I hope we can see each other again sometime?" Jaune nodded stupidly as she sauntered down the hallway, eyes trailing a little further before he found Pyrrha, arms crossed and a frown on her face.

"What?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha glared at Jaune a little more before shaking her head, brushing past him without replying. He looked helplessly at Blake, who didn't answer him either, simply shaking her head and nudging him along.

The three made it the rest of the way without saying anything, approaching their door before they heard yelling in the room across from them, drawing worried looks at each other.

"I don't see why you're defending these criminals, Yang! They're terrorists! They've killed hundreds of people!"

"I'm not defending the White Fang as a whole," Yang snapped back, "I'm just saying that not all of them are bad, okay? Some of them just want change!"

Weiss scoffed, and Jaune didn't need to try hard to imagine her rolling her eyes. "Please. They're monsters, Yang. Do you have any idea how friends and family I've lost to them?"

"Oh well, I'm sure the Schnee family is completely faultless as well?" Yang yelled, "I'm sure you and daddy dearest didn't have anything to do with how shitty the faunus are being treated right now, right?"

"I have nothing to do with that!" Weiss practically shrieked, making Jaune wince.

"Then why are you defending them?!" Yang roared back.

"Because they're family! Why are you defending _them_?!"

The room fell quiet, Jaune turning to look at Blake, seeing her a little pale, her eyes fixed onto the doorway.

Finally, Yang spoke, her tone biting and angry. "You know what? Everyone was right about you, Ice Queen. I'm out of here." The door slammed open, Yang striding out, eyes red as she ignored the small crowd that was gathered outside, opening her own door and walking in. A second passed before there was a yelp from inside, Ruby shoved out as the door shut, locking itself.

The rest of Team Juneberry looked at Ruby, whose face reddened underneath the combined force of their inquisitive looks.

Ruby chuckled weakly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Wonder what _that_ was all about?"


End file.
